The relevance and novelty of this article lie in the analysis of creative self-identifi cation in the book by V. Khodasevich “Derzhavin” (1931), which is an access to the author’s thought. This study is based on the methods of the Russian psychoanalyst Ya. M. Kogan, set forth in the book “Identifi cation and its role in artistic creativity” (1926). This work has never been considered in literary criticism from this perspective. The works of modern scientists are also taken into account: D. P. Bak, K. A. Krylov, V. I. Tyupa, E. V. Kharitonova, M. A.