Introduction. Silence and the Rest Page 3
Verbal Skepticism and Existential Arguments Page 15
1. Theological Ineffability Page 15
2. (Pre)-Romantic Inexpressibility Page 18
3. Absurdist Logophobia Page 24
Russian Contributions to Verbal Skepticism Page 34
Western Philosophy versus Russian Philosophy versus Russian Poetry Page 49
Chapter 1. Initiating the Paradigm: The Inexpressible in Russian
Romanticism Page 56
Romantic Inexpressibility Page 58
Batiushkov, Zhukovsky, Venevitinov: Inexpressible Ideality and
Incommunicability Page 60
1. Batiushkov Page 60
2. Zhukovsky Page 62
3. Venevitinov Page 71
Tiutchev: Ontology of Otherness and the Operative Paradox Page 74
Baratynsky and Lermontov: Incommunicability, Silence, Nihilism Page 87
1. Baratynsky Page 87
2. Lermontov Page 100
Chapter 2. Osip Mandelstam’s Many-Voiced Silentiums Page 109
(Pre)-Modernist Verbal Skepticism: Fet, Symbolism, and Post-
Symbolism Page 110
Silentium of “Silentium” Page 123
Other Shades of Silence Page 138
From Silver Silentium to Iron Silence Page 152
Chapter 3. A Figure that Leaves You Speechless: Joseph Brodsky
on Death and Language Page 173
Residence Permit for Heaven: Divine Ineffability and Its Discontents Page 175
Linguistic Lunacy Page 202
A Slice of the Monotone of Infinity Page 207
The Condition We Call Exile and the Death of the Author Page 217
Chapter 4. “A Poet Is Less Than a Poet”: Timur Kibirov’s Merry
Logophobia Page 242
L(aughing) O(ut) L(oud): The Conceptualist Lineage of Verbal
Skepticism Page 243
Kibirov’s Mechanics of Verbal Subversion Page 249
Like Rotten Fish: Beyond Laughter in Kibirov Page 269
Bad Infinity and Eternal Recurrence Page 276
Conclusion. Logophobia in the Land of Logos Page 287
Specificities of the Russian Paradigm Page 294
Dichten and Denken Page 303
Widening the Space of Ineffability Page 310
Notes Page 315
Notes to Introduction Page 315
Notes to Chapter 1 Page 328
Notes to Chapter 2 Page 340
Notes to Chapter 3 Page 364
Notes to Chapter 4 Page 385
Notes to Conclusion Page 390
Bibliography Page 396
