Poems of Akhmatova

A legend in her own time both for her brilliant poetry and for her resistance to oppression, Anna Akhmatovaâdenounced by the Soviet regime for her âeroticism, mysticism, and political indifferenceââis one of the greatest Russian poets of the twentieth century.

Before the revolution, Akhmatova was a wildly popular young poet who lived a bohemian life. She was one of the leaders of a movement of poets whose ideal was âbeautiful clarityââin her deeply personal work, themes of love and mourning are conveyed with passionate intensity and economy, her voice by turns tender and fierce. A vocal critic of Stalinism, she saw her work banned for many years and was expelled from the Writersâ Unionâcondemned as âhalf nun, half harlot.â Despite this censorship, her reputation continued to flourish underground, and she is still among Russiaâs most beloved poets.

Here are poems from all her major worksâincluding the magnificent âRequiemâ commemorating the victims of Stalinâs terrorâand some that have been newly translated for this edition.