The image of the taiga in the ballads of Leonid Zaval’nyuk

The article is devoted to the study of the ballad genre in the lyrics of the poet Leonid Zaval’nyuk (1930-2010). The study focuses on the analysis of “The Taiga Ballad” and “The Ballad of Melting Snow,” which were included in the collection “Beyond the Receding Horizon” (1956). These ballads open and end the ballad cycle, consisting of five works. The plot of both ballads develops in the artistic space of the taiga, which becomes a place of moral testing for the heroes. Leonid Zaval’nyuk was the first to introduce the image of the taiga into the ballad. The decanonisation of the ballad genre occurs in the 19th century. Leonid Zaval’nyuk’s works not only preserve ballad traditions (third-person narration, appeal to archetypal plots, mixing Christian and pagan beliefs, personification of natural forces, the special role of the season and time of day in the development of the plot), but also the evolution of the genre takes place (refusal of the mystical component, increasing the realism of the narrative, first-person narration). The decanonisation of the ballad genre occurs in the 19th century. Leonid Zaval’nyuk turned to the ballad genre throughout his entire career. The motif of moral testing became one of the leading ones for the poet.