ABOUT THE IMAGERY OF JÁN ONDRUŠ

The study focuses on the up-to-date theoretical reflection of imagery in the poetry of the Slovak concretist poet Ján Ondruš and on the interpretation and analysis of the elements of imagery in Ondruš's poem from the collection Lunatic Moon (1965). This collection has a significant presence in Slovak modern poetry. At the time of its publication, it was associated with names such as Nezval, Poe, Lautréamont, Rimbaud, Borel, Quincey, Chlebnikov and terms such as exclusivity, esotericism, unrepeatability or originality, and with authenticity, which was also an important characteristic. In the collection consisting of twenty-three poems, the central theme is the tragic feeling of life resulting from the inability, or rather the impossibility, to merge into one essence. For our analysis and interpretation, we decided to choose a poem that we consider to be a representative and supporting poem of the collection and whose poetic statement is interesting to us from the point of view of imagery and imagination. We consider the work with details to be an exceptional element in Ondruš's poetry. The poet concentrates on concrete situations, phenomena and processes and on abstract concepts that he immortalizes. Ondruš's expressive apparatus is unique and sometimes difficult to absorb. Verses are mostly composed of simple sentences, and we could describe such writing as rational. Theoretical knowledge about the imagery of Ján Ondruš is also an important contribution for us. It will become a theoretical prerequisite for the investigation of imagery in his poetry.