Lexical means of creating personification in Vlad Malenko’s lyric poetry

Contemporary Russian poetry, experiencing another period of flourishing, is represented by both wellknown and new names. Among them are Maria Vatutina, Igor Karaulov, Dmitry Vodennikov, Vlad Malenko, Anna Dolgareva, Alexander Pelevin, Anna Revyakina, Polina Orynyanskaya, Alexey Ostudin, Tatyana Koptelova, Sofia Yudina, and many others. Touching upon philosophical, civic, and psychological themes, the authors turn to the living Russian word and employ the entire wealth of linguistic resources in their poems. Studying such poetry not only expands the scope of philological research, but also contributes to the renewal of didactic materials. Working with such materials, one can reveal the beauty and power of the Russian word as well as instil love for the Russian language in readers. That is why both literary and linguistic studies focusing on the distinctive features of the linguistic structure of modern poetic text play such an important role. Using modern poetry in working with schoolchildren enables one to overcome the stereotype of textual material being distanced from the modern native speaker. This article examines the lexical means of personification in the lyrics by Vlad Malenko employing structural-semantic, componential, and comparative analysis. The study identified and described cases of anthropomorphism as well as provided their verbal and adverbial characteristics. Additionally, examples of anthropomorphised objects and inanimate objects naming various manifestations of the classical elements being attributed to professions were considered. Moreover, temporal magnitudes and object entities were characterised. The study shows that personification is one of the most important literary devices in Vlad Malenko’s lyrics. It is represented with the help of various linguistic means and is significant for understanding the poet’s worldview in which the surrounding reality at times seems more alive than humans themselves.