Since his debut in the early 1990s, Golynko’s ear has been tuned with extraordinary sensitivity to present linguistic conditions. His subject has been current social and political experience, which he studies with precise, close concentration. His writing — honed responses to his environment — constitutes a critical analysis, or perhaps an anatomy, of contemporary subjectivity. And as social and political reality, both in Russia and globally, has grown over the past two decades by stages more agonizing, more charged by crisis, and less obviously leading to any predictable or desirable future, Golynko’s work has engaged more and more intensely with this work of critique.
Platt's essay was part of his excellent feature, "Russian Poetic Counterpublics," which also contains his translation of Golynko's "The Keys to Yonder." As mentioned above, he is also responsible for much of the content found on PennSound's author page for Golynko, as well as providing Cyrillic translations for the poet's titles. There you'll find four full-length readings from Russia and throughout the US, as well as Charles Bernstein's two-part 2009 Close Listening program where Golynko reads his work and talks with the host (a transcript is available in the journal Sibila). Bernstein is also responsible for a 2018 video of Golynko reading his poem "Government Funding."
We send our condolences to Golynko's family, friends, and colleagues worldwide.
