Robert Grivan, graywyvern, Portia, Dear Girl, and Victoria Stoilova, thank you for restacking my work on Anna Akhmatova. It makes my work valuable, and I am happy for your interest in Russian Poetry.
My thanks to all who read and liked my opus about Anna Akhmatova. I am ready to finish my writing about Russian poets and would like to hear from my readers whom would you prefer to be my last poet?
When I went up to Oxford ten years after her honorary doctorate, she was still in the air. People I knew (!) continued to quote her extemporaneous musings. Among 700 years’ worth of ghosts wafting about that place, hers was by far the prevailing one, at least then.
This is a recording of Akhmatova reading her Requiem and I think it was recorded in Paris after she stopped there en route back to the USSR from Oxford. You need not know Russian to ‘understand’:
That melted my heart. What am I going to do with a melted heart and thinking of the two Sea poems of Akhmatova that dropped me off to the mortality bus station (and I was looking for eternity).
You can translate one or even both into English and post it with two mine, I am going to translate. And , Elmo, please, join us.I want to ask Chen also to do that. It will be our modest celebration of her poetry in 21 century, on Substack.
We didn't have such a triumphal recourse in our country. I am surprised by her prevailing ghost among 700 years of history of Oxford. Glad for her influence. She got her victory. She was the only one among our more Russian than Soviet poets.
Thank you, Larisa. When I studied Russian and Soviet literature in the late 1960's (with emigré professors), the material about every author and every poet was given in a format like a menu that we had to memorize. Fortunately we got to read the literature in Russian — all except for Pasternak.
You don't need to find your old translations. Just take any short poem and translate it in 5 minutes. As you translated Akhmatova before, it means, you know Russian well.Thank you for reading my essay.
thank you, Dmitriy Berkut for reading and liking my opus about Akhmatova. Your name sounds dearly Russian. I love Russian names.
Robert Grivan, graywyvern, Portia, Dear Girl, and Victoria Stoilova, thank you for restacking my work on Anna Akhmatova. It makes my work valuable, and I am happy for your interest in Russian Poetry.
Thank you, Yvette (sounds very French) for reading and liking my opus about Akhmaova.
My thanks to all who read and liked my opus about Anna Akhmatova. I am ready to finish my writing about Russian poets and would like to hear from my readers whom would you prefer to be my last poet?
Thank you again, Larisa, for this wonderful, moving series about the Russian poets before and after the Revolution. I feel them even closer to me now.
When I went up to Oxford ten years after her honorary doctorate, she was still in the air. People I knew (!) continued to quote her extemporaneous musings. Among 700 years’ worth of ghosts wafting about that place, hers was by far the prevailing one, at least then.
This is a recording of Akhmatova reading her Requiem and I think it was recorded in Paris after she stopped there en route back to the USSR from Oxford. You need not know Russian to ‘understand’:
https://youtu.be/P--7yKgBfro?si=RRCSxHjcsjbIkOjT
I have that recording!
That melted my heart. What am I going to do with a melted heart and thinking of the two Sea poems of Akhmatova that dropped me off to the mortality bus station (and I was looking for eternity).
And now you’re sounding a bit like her!
You can translate one or even both into English and post it with two mine, I am going to translate. And , Elmo, please, join us.I want to ask Chen also to do that. It will be our modest celebration of her poetry in 21 century, on Substack.
We didn't have such a triumphal recourse in our country. I am surprised by her prevailing ghost among 700 years of history of Oxford. Glad for her influence. She got her victory. She was the only one among our more Russian than Soviet poets.
Thank you, Larisa. When I studied Russian and Soviet literature in the late 1960's (with emigré professors), the material about every author and every poet was given in a format like a menu that we had to memorize. Fortunately we got to read the literature in Russian — all except for Pasternak.
I hear not first time about poor professors of Russian literature. Thank you for your interest in it despite your kitchen professors.
Thank you, I find this very moving.
Interesting. If I can find any of my translations I'll send them to you. But, alas, I have so many volumes of manuscripts to search through.
You don't need to find your old translations. Just take any short poem and translate it in 5 minutes. As you translated Akhmatova before, it means, you know Russian well.Thank you for reading my essay.
Larissa, I don't know Russian at all. I just use other people's translations and 'improve' on them.
Oh, I understand now. You even 'improve' spelling of my Russian name in English. Are you an editor, professionally?
Sorry about that. No, I'm not an editor. Just a poet.