Journal archive

Abstract: The paper is devoted to the works of the 1995 Nobel Laureate, one of the most prominent figures in the contemporary English-language poetry, the Irish poet, translator and essayist Seamus Heaney. The paper is focused upon one of the key aspects for understanding and further studies of Heaney's poetry — the role of the Irish literary tradition in his poetic oeuvre. The article aims to study specific traits and ways of Heaney’s interaction with Irish-language texts, elements of the early Irish literature and mythology. The analysis of Heaney’s poetry is supported by the wider context that consists of his critical works, interviews and essays. The research points out the relations between the poet and and his native literary tradition (such as translation of Irishlanguage texts, use of dindsenchas and so on). The research allows to make a conclusion that in his poetry Heaney strives to unite the two parts of the “dual” literary tradition and blend together the Irish and the European literary traditions.