Strong Words: Poetry in a Russian and English Edition [Paperback]

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.

“Strong Wordsachieves 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

Alexander Pushkinwas a novelist, dramatist and poet, penning such influential works asEugene OneginandBoris Godunov. He is now considered the father of modern Russian literature. Anna Akhmatovawas a modernist poet and is recognized as one of the greatest 20th-century Russian poets. She was at times censlc)