Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) was a leading poet in the Silver Age of Russian poetry, until ran afoul of the Stalinist regime.
Poets and Poems: Alexander Blok and “The Stranger”
In his lifetime, Alexander Blok was considered one of the finest of all Russian poets. He still carries that accolade today.
Poets and Poems: Boris Pasternak and “February”
“February: Poems” by Boris Pasternak reflect the poet (and novelist’s) experience of living in a Russia marked by war, revolution, civil war, and oppressive communism.
Poets and Poems: Marina Tsvetaeva and “My Poems”
Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva (1892-1941) used love as a compass in her poetry, in the face of monumental tragedies she experienced in her country.
Anna Akhmatova and the Poetry of Resilience
Russian poet Anna Akhmatova experienced personal tragedy, war, revolution, civil war, and Stalinist repression, and still wrote haunting poetry.
Poets and Poems: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and “Prussian Nights”
“Prussian Nights” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn reminds us that victory in war doesn’t automatically mean moral superiority over an enemy.