The story of how this anthology came to be is nearly as vivid as the poetry itself. With the last comparable collection published in the U.S.S.R. in 1925, poet Yevtushenko ( Wild Berries ) began to "gather into a whole all the pieces of the Russian national spirit" in poetry during the 1960s, then had to sneak the manuscript out of Russia in two parts in order to publish it, one carried by none other than Warren Beatty. It's an important book. Bringing together the work of some of this century's most momentous writers--Mandelstam, Mayakovsky, Tsvetayeva, Akhmatova--it also assembles many poets who will be new to American readers, and who speak both to the strength of the Russian art and to a ferocity of engagement with an era, a generation, a politics, a soul, that seems exemplary and yet inimitable. "The primary principle of selection in this anthology is the degree of pain," writes Yevtushenko, and the principle is instructive. The translators include Vladimir Nabokov, Daniel Weissbort, Stanley Kunitz, Max Hayward, Olga Carlisle, Rose Styron, Albert Todd, George L. Kline, Michael Frayn and Elaine Feinstein.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Yevtushenko claims that compiling this anthology was as difficult as "putting together a beautiful statue that, out of envy for its perfect beauty, has been smashed to pieces by barbarians," and he's not exaggerating. Many of the anthology's 250 poets have been repressed and their works scattered; others are well known in their homeland but have never before been translated into English. The manuscript was smuggled out of the Soviet Union piecemeal, beginning in 1972; then, inexplicably, the project was frozen for 15 years. It was definitely worth the wait. This massive tome effectively captures the spirit and passion of Russian poetry in this century. Yevtushenko provides context by dividing the text into four clearly delineated sections and introducing each poet with an extensive preface; in addition, important terms are cross-referenced to a helpful glossary. While wide-ranging, the anthology remains judicious in its selection, offering outpourings from giants like Mandelstam or Akhmatova and perhaps a single poem from lesser lights. Too bad the original Russian is not presented en face , but then the project would have become far too ponderous. Highly recommended.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
