Ten Russian Poets

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View books by Mikhail Kuzmin, Velimir Khlebnikov, Osip Mandelstam, Boris Poplavsky, Daniel Andreyev, Arseny Tarkovsky, Leonid Aronzon, Viktor Krivulin, Katia Kapovich.

Russia Calling - Rated
I barely went past Go the first time I tried Akhmatova. Too bleak. But then I hadn't (and still haven't) read much poetry. Blake for instance was torture. I do hope I've grown up somewhat since then. This collection of poems from 10 Russian poets is astounding and showcases outpourings from the soul that simultaneously soar above and plumb the depths of the human condition. The horrors of the soviet era are here. Yet still there are songs of love, of loss, of desire, of bravery and yearning for betterment, of nature's beauty and most of all of humanity's humane-ness.

The poems are very accessible - no great knowledge of greek mythology is required and psychoanalytic re-interpretation of the poet's true meaning is rarely necessary. The voices are clear and direct yet do not lose power. There's Mandelstam (try "The Sky Is Pregnant With The Future"), Kuzmin's delightful homo-erotic verse (try "Alexandrian Songs"), Khelbnikov's polemic (try "Appeal Of The President's Of The Earthly Sphere"), Poplavsky's searing pleas (try "Pity For Europe" ), poems by a helpless anonymous poet from a mental hospital (try "I'm Tired") and so much more. The only poets that left me lukewarm are the last two (Krivulin and Kapovich) - ironically the most modern ones but no doubt they have reached and will reach others.

There's no Akhmatova in this collection. I should go back to Akhmatova.