This was so interesting to read. I have heard about Isadora Duncan all my life, but I never knew anything more about her than the fact that she was a dancer/choreographer. Fascinating and difficult times, those.
I am not sure that the Revolution ate his dreams. He couldn’t understand what was good and what was bad. Once, he reads his poems to the Empress and her children, and in three years, he reads his poems to the Bolsheviks. And wrong company and later wrong woman. And village genius easily becomes a drunkard. But what a poet!
Hi Larisa, I've just tried to accept your Direct Message, but Substack just directs me to the App Store to download (I prefer not to use the app - partly because of the social media quality of inescapability; and partly because I don't really want Substack flogging my data to death (any more than they probably are!). Do you know if there's any other way?
It's funny. I even don't have their app or any apps, not because "i don't really want Substack flogging my data to death." I confess to you: I am so old that I understand nothing in the technics of Substack or any technics or what I call "machinery". What I wrote to you: My dear friends! You can't imagine, how grateful I am to your interest in my work! Thank you! Thank you for devouring of Esenin. (Of course, not him, but essay). Larisa
That's such a lovely response; but honestly - the pleasure’s been mine, I’ve loved your essays. I’ve just finished the third, which was funny, tragic and revealing - that letter to Comrade Litvinov!
Comrade Litvinov later was finished by Stalin as a foreign spy! Can you imagine such a regime? I write about it in my Wrong Country. Not about Litvinov, but about regime.
Larisa, you tell a compelling tale, I can't wait to read more! It's just so sad that many of those talented people had to die tragically and way before their time.
Portia, I liked your comment so much that I wrote mine and I lost it as I lost my essay on Blok. Might be I clicked "Cancel" instead of "Post." Anyway, I will continue because I love all my poets so much like they are my closest relatives. Thank you, Portia for your comment.
Sorry, Hyun Woo for my mistake in the name of my, by the way favorite, Polish composer. As you wrote yourself, his name in Russian starts from "Sh", that is a reason for my slip. My opus was not about Chopin but about Esenin and Duncan, wasn't? Any comments on the theme?
I had no idea Duncan was much older than Esenin. And what interesting times 1910s and 1920s were in Russia. You have Lenin, Trotsky, Bukharin, and Stalin, all differing a bit with each other. Then you have Mayakovsky and Gorky. They differ too. And there are Akhmatova and Gumilev, Aleksey Tolstoy and Sholokhov, Florensky and Sergey Bulgakov... Wild times, indeed.
Very interesting, and really makes me want to re-read Esenin-thank you, Larisa!
(PS I wanted to comment about the divide but decided to re-read about different poets too, to check my memory, and add to my knowledge-great post, I love when writing sends me digging deeper)
Thank you. Divide was huge. The first great writer who left & later got the Noble Prize was Ivan Bunin, the other, from Nabokov's family, Vl. Nabokov and so on.
This was so interesting to read. I have heard about Isadora Duncan all my life, but I never knew anything more about her than the fact that she was a dancer/choreographer. Fascinating and difficult times, those.
I was not aware of this story before. Revolutions eat so many dreams.
I am not sure that the Revolution ate his dreams. He couldn’t understand what was good and what was bad. Once, he reads his poems to the Empress and her children, and in three years, he reads his poems to the Bolsheviks. And wrong company and later wrong woman. And village genius easily becomes a drunkard. But what a poet!
Hi Larisa, I've just tried to accept your Direct Message, but Substack just directs me to the App Store to download (I prefer not to use the app - partly because of the social media quality of inescapability; and partly because I don't really want Substack flogging my data to death (any more than they probably are!). Do you know if there's any other way?
I'm just about to devour Part III of Esenin...
It's funny. I even don't have their app or any apps, not because "i don't really want Substack flogging my data to death." I confess to you: I am so old that I understand nothing in the technics of Substack or any technics or what I call "machinery". What I wrote to you: My dear friends! You can't imagine, how grateful I am to your interest in my work! Thank you! Thank you for devouring of Esenin. (Of course, not him, but essay). Larisa
That's such a lovely response; but honestly - the pleasure’s been mine, I’ve loved your essays. I’ve just finished the third, which was funny, tragic and revealing - that letter to Comrade Litvinov!
Comrade Litvinov later was finished by Stalin as a foreign spy! Can you imagine such a regime? I write about it in my Wrong Country. Not about Litvinov, but about regime.
I’ll take a look. (And yes, the ever-revolving door of all totalitarian regimes. People never learn, of course…)
Agree and thank you.
Oh, Berthe, Is that You? We been together at the Englewood Library Writing class? I hope, we are!
Larisa, I like reading your work. I know so little about Russia.
Thank you, Berthe Rene-Luke. I am delighted to let you know my former country because it's a beautiful country with the wrong people at power.
Really nicely written, Larisa. Thank you!
Thank you for your interest in my writing.
Larisa, you tell a compelling tale, I can't wait to read more! It's just so sad that many of those talented people had to die tragically and way before their time.
Portia, I liked your comment so much that I wrote mine and I lost it as I lost my essay on Blok. Might be I clicked "Cancel" instead of "Post." Anyway, I will continue because I love all my poets so much like they are my closest relatives. Thank you, Portia for your comment.
Hi Larisa, this is a very unimportant comment, but Шопен is spelled Chopin as French would write it. Hope you don't mind!
Sorry, Hyun Woo for my mistake in the name of my, by the way favorite, Polish composer. As you wrote yourself, his name in Russian starts from "Sh", that is a reason for my slip. My opus was not about Chopin but about Esenin and Duncan, wasn't? Any comments on the theme?
I had no idea Duncan was much older than Esenin. And what interesting times 1910s and 1920s were in Russia. You have Lenin, Trotsky, Bukharin, and Stalin, all differing a bit with each other. Then you have Mayakovsky and Gorky. They differ too. And there are Akhmatova and Gumilev, Aleksey Tolstoy and Sholokhov, Florensky and Sergey Bulgakov... Wild times, indeed.
Very interesting, and really makes me want to re-read Esenin-thank you, Larisa!
(PS I wanted to comment about the divide but decided to re-read about different poets too, to check my memory, and add to my knowledge-great post, I love when writing sends me digging deeper)
Thank you. Divide was huge. The first great writer who left & later got the Noble Prize was Ivan Bunin, the other, from Nabokov's family, Vl. Nabokov and so on.