The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry (Penguin Classics)

I don't know much about russian poetry, but I do read a lot of American poetry (mostly contemporary, but I go backwards and, sometimes, forwards). In my capacity as a reader of American poetry in the 20th century, I assert that these are not very good translations. The biggest problem is that most of the poems are translated in meter, which to my ear trained in free verse, sounds like bombastic, miserable renditions of shel silverstein. This isn't to say that I don't love, respect, and adore Shel Silverstein. I do: what *sounds* like light verse is very appropriate to the subject of balloons, and monsters in closets, and grade school, but not so much for expressions of political or religious fervor. It sounds silly then, see.For example, this translation of Afanasy Fet"I come again with greetings new,to tell you day is well begun;to say that leaves are fresh with dewand dappled in the early sun"these are fine lines, but rhyme, to me, adds the wrong emphasis by forcibly conjoining new-dew and begun-sun. Both pairs of words make perfect sense, but also add nothing surprising. Without them, attention would naturally drop to the more interesting part of the poem: what kind of report is this? What kind of person needs a report of the weather? Why is the poetic project underlying a bureacratic report about the subject of spring? In other words, the rhyme is distracting, unsatisfying, and ultimately undermining.My friend who knows more about russian poetry than I do tells me that russian poetry was and is written in a regular meter. Perhaps the translators chose to translate these poems in meter for that reason. To me, however, that was the wrong rather than authentic choice.

Good overview of the changes in Russian poetry. Very insightful about the Stalin and Khrushchev eras. Before reading this, read Zhivago's Children by Vladislav Zubok, which provides insight to the socio -schizophrenic eras of the 1930s, 40s, 50s and during which Russian intelligentsia lived in an uncertain world that would reward them one day and confine them the next. That book provides a context in which this book can be understood.

Excellent anthology, a friend got me into Russian poetry and suggested that I get an anthology, so I went with Penguin Classics because its a good company. I have used this anthology many times in my college's poetry club and they love it. Highly reccomend for anyone who is interested in Russian poetry. My favorite poems were from the Soviet Era.

not all best poems represented as they pertain to individual poets (i.e. Bella Achmadulina and Arseny Tarkovsky), but then may be they were considered "best"by the authors.

This book presents us with English translations of 376 Russian poems (or in some cases extracts from or fragments of poems) from 66 poets. The range is from Gavrila Derzhavin (1743-1816), who could be said to have 'discovered' Pushkin - and whose poetry directly influenced not just Pushkin but many another successor poet, including Mandelstam and Tsvetaeva - to Marina Boroditskaya (born 1954). It includes all the Russian poets most of us could think of, plus more than a few to whom we are now pleased to be introduced.The order of presentation of the poets and their work is by date of birth, and they are further marshalled into sections titled The Eighteenth Century, Around Pushkin, Pushkin, After Pushkin, The Twentieth Century and Three More Recent Poets.For each poet a short biography is provided, which serves also as an introduction to his or her poems. Robert Chandler explains in his Introduction that the number of pages given to a poet does not always reflect the editors' estimate of his or her importance. Their aim, he writes, has been to include only translations that work as poems in English. Given that we are turning to a volume that presents the poems only in English (very little Russian is found in the entire volume*), most of us will welcome that decision.When it comes to Innokenty Annesky (1855-1909), however, we cannot help but share the regret of the editors that although they 'would have liked to do more to expand his readership, [he] is exceptionally hard to translate'. So we are pleased to settle, with them, for six complete poems.Fortunately, most of the poets and their work are much more accessible. Perhaps the most accessible of all is Ivan Krylov (1769-1844). The 11 Krylov poems selected here, translated by Gordon Pirie, could readily occupy a whole, large-format book, lavishly illustrated, intended for the delight of children and the parents and other adults who might read the poems to them.There are other fun poems too, although the overall tone, especially in the Twentieth Century section, is often heavy. The great hardships and injustices that followed the Bolshevik Revolution, capped by Stalin's Great Purge, the Nazi invasion, the Leningrad Blockade and the Gulag, feature strongly in both poems and biographies. Suicides, executions, days of queuing outside prison (in hope of being allowed to pass-in something to comfort a loved one), internal exile, escape and expulsion from the Soviet bloc are all present too. For the most part, Russia's poets have exhibited no lack of courage, either in their private lives or in their choice of poetic material.Another striking feature is the linkage over time both between individual poets and between the poems they have bequeathed to posterity. One poet has been influenced by, encouraged by, even mentored by another: one poem (not just its theme) has been taken-up by another, even a series of other poets. And in the Gulag, in the face of suppression and for want of paper, they famously committed to memory huge amounts of their own and other poets' writing.It is tempting to describe this book as encyclopaedic. In as much as it opens only in about 1780 and is able to cover a mere fraction of the work of a finite number of poets, of course it is not. But the great quantity and range of material that is included, plus the wonderfully informative Introduction, Bibliography and Notes do indeed take it a long way towards qualifying for that descriptor.* The Editors provide a bi-lingual Table of Contents and the full text, in Russian, of most of the poems in the book not still in copyright on https://pbrp.wordpress.com

This anthology is not great. The pre-20th century part is predictable, but at least some of the translations are okay. (Some are not good, for example translations of Derzhavin by Alexander Levitsky.) But the 20th century part is weak. Some of the greatest poets are missing, and some of the poets included are really not exemplary. Finally, there is a weird section of poems by the translators, among them Robert Chandler, one of the coeditors of the anthology. Hesitant to recommend.

I have been reading nineteenth and occasionally twentieth century Russian prose literature for the whole of my adult life. Starting with Turgenev, then Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and the rest. However, asRobert Chandler tells us in the introduction to this wonderful book, poetry not prose is what matters most to Russians.Until reading this book I had read some verse of Pushkin's but little else really. I now know what I have been missing. Even in translation the examples of Russian poetry chosen for this book are so impressive that encountering them was, for me, a genuine revelation.Like the great prose writers, Russian poets tend towards the big questions of life, the universe and everything. There are too many great lines I could quote but I'll settle for one little gem of perception that particularly appealed to me. It comes from 'Avvakum in Pustozyorsk' by VarlamShalamov (1907-82):'True joy often wears a garment of tears'.Wow!

This is a great survey of Russian poetry covering four centuries, and it really does the subject justice. As a Kindle book it is exceptional value for money. That is to say that it is not one of those cheap, cobbled together sort of kindle books, where they just throw a whole lot of material together without any additional bits like introductions, etc., it's a proper book... on Kindle.Look out for Maikov's 'The Hay Harvest', and arguably the most famous line in all Russian poetry from 'Silentium' by Tyutchev. A lovely poem in any language. And as with a lot of Russian poetry- universal.

Good selection, especially the more modern poets. Not read all of it, but translations seem very good. It's a pity that (unlike the ancient "Penguin Book of Russian Verse"), and its successor, (from Indiana University Press) "The Heritage of Russian Verse") the Russian originals are not included.i know that this would have made a very fat book, but I chose the Kindle version to save space.As a lover of Russian poetry, I used to run round the park reciting many of these poems (quietly!), and was just a bit disappointed in this respect; hence only 4 stars, not 5.For poetry lovers who don't speak Russian, however, I'd thoroughly recommend this book.

I have read and am reading much Russian literaturebut never poetry. This book is a valuable insight into the Russian psyche. Surprisingly beautiful !

Unlike previous anthologies of Rusian poetry in English translation, this one consists of translations so good that they often rival the original.