Strong Words

Overview

Celebrating three Russian literary greats—Alexander Pushkin, Anna Akhmatova, and Andrei Voznesensky—this collection of their writing presents new translations of a combined 44 poems and includes both Russian and English text. Nearly 20 artworks—from color monoprints to black-and-white collages, illustrations, and photographs—by Pushkin, Voznesensky, Amadeo Modigliani, Nikolai Tyrsa, and Claire Weissman Wilks are also included, opening an artistic dialogue with the poems and the reader. Alexander Pushkin is, perhaps, the greatest of Russian poets and considered the founder of modern Russian literature. Anna Akhmatova is Russia’s singular female poet and perhaps the greatest in Western culture. Andrei Voznesensky was considered one of the most daring writers of the Soviet era, and before his death he was both critically and popularly acclaimed. These three master poets are brought together with masterful translations that engage their many complexities and are a must for personal or academic interests in Russian literature or poetry in general.

Reviews

“Strong Words achieves something exceptional. This small, powerful selection—poems by three distinct poetic voices—creates a mysterious wholeness; one can almost imagine the book as a single poem, so alert are these translations to the elusive narrative of deeply felt human experience. This is what the best poetry is capable of: an entire life illumined in a line or two.”  —Anne Michaels, author, Fugitive Pieces

Author Biography

Alexander Pushkin was a novelist, dramatist and poet, penning such influential works as Eugene Onegin and Boris Godunov. He is now considered the father of modern Russian literature. Anna Akhmatova was a modernist poet and is recognized as one of the greatest 20th-century Russian poets. She was at times censored or even condemned by the Stalinist government. Andrei Voznesenski was considered one of the most daring writers of the Soviet era, but his style often led to criticism from his contemporaries and even a threat of expulsion. Before his death, he was both critically and popularly proclaimed a living classic and an icon of Soviet intellectuals. Vladimir Azarov is an architect and poet whose books include Dinner with Catherine the Great, The Kiss from Mary Pickford, Imitation, Of Life & Other Small Sacrifices, and Voices in Dialogue. Barry Callaghan is an author, poet, and anthologist. He is the editor in chief of both Exile Editions and Exile: the Literary Quarterly and he is the author of numerous books, including Beside Still Waters and Between Trains. They both live in Toronto.