The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova

by Anna Akhmatova

Book Overview

Initially published in 1990, when the New York Times Book Review named it one of fourteen "Best Books of the Year," Judith Hemschemeyer's translation of The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova is the definitive edition, and has sold over 13,000 copies, making it one of the most successful poetry titles of recent years.

This reissued and revised printing features a new biographical essay as well as expanded notes to the poems, both by...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0939010275
• ISBN13: 9780939010271
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Zephyr Press
• Length: 948 Pages
• Weight: 2.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Complete Poems of Anna Achmatova

A truly amazing and captivating collection of not only all of the Poet's work but also the riveting and heart breaking story of her life and harrowing survival as a writer in Communist Russia. A must read!

Somehow a survivor

Akhmatova was one of the few unrepentant Acemist poets to survive Russia's Bolshevik revolution and subsequant Stalinist takeover and purges. She was seen by authorities as a dangerous element, related to the pre-revolutionary order. Somehow, even as her fellow poets - including friend Osip Mandlestam and husband Nikolay Gumilov - were executed, exiled, sent to camps, or fled, she managed to survive - outliving Stalin himself. Her poems range from the early tales of love and unrequitation, to the tormented later works such as Requium - a harrowing dedication to the victoms of Stalinism. Her use of words is fantastic - the reader can truly feel her presence. This collection is very comprehensive, and well-translted from the original Russian. Definately worth the $21.

An extraordinary book by a great poet.

Finally, the poems of one of my favorite authors are out in one book, and what a book this is! For lovers of graceful, touching, heartfelt poetry, but also for those who are interested in that period of Russian history between the twilight of the Czars and the horror of Stalin, Akhmatova's poetry covers a very wide spectrum. She wrote of love and nature. She wrote about and for her friends. She wrote about her personal tragedies and the tragedy of her country. If you have never read Akhmatova, do yourself a favor and discover her in this magnificent translation by Judith Hemschmeyer: translating poetry is particularly tricky, but the job is superbly done here, because it feels as if the author had written her verses in English, not Russian. If you like what you have read, or if you already appreciate Akhmatova's style and are interested in more about her life, nothing better than the book by Roberta Reeder on Anna Akhmatova. Reeder has also edited this volume and her love for the work of a great poet is evident. These "Complete Poems" are truly complete and satisfiying, ordered chronologically, supported by biographical material, photographs, and an astonishing section of notes. A book for the poetry lover in us, and also a book for the student. I must also say that the translation of "Requiem," my favorite poem by Akhmatova, is one of the best I have read. My only complaint has to do with the binding: this is a paperback, and we all know what happens to paperbacks, and at 948 pages this one may break fairly soon. My advice is to buy it nonetheless, and also buy one of those plastic, self-adhesive covers on sale in most big bookstores, protect the book with it and, as an additional touch, put one more layer of the hard plastic on the spine, so it'll reinforce it better and your book will last a lot longer. At least that is what I did with my copy and after almost two years it still looks new. So, a great collection, indeed, by a great poet, and by people who truly cared about her art. Five stars is the maximum, but I would give it more.

Move over W.B. Yeats and make room for Anna Akhmatova

The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova translated by J.Hemschmeyer (expanded paperback edition) offers an incredible affordable offering of world class Russian poetry. Akhmatova's poems are universally accessible to an English speaking/reading audience. You can jump right into the poetry and bypass the introductory material on Anna but my guess is that after sampling these incredible poems most readers will satisfy at least some of their curiosity about the poet and investigate what Anatoly Naiman and Isaiah Berlin have written about Akhmatova. Furthermore the text supplies numerous pointers to places for more information. But the poetry itself is well worth the money for this text. Like Yeats, Akhmatova draws the reader into a poem's world with an ease and grace which belies the efforts of writing whether the subject is heartbreak, love, travel, nature etc.. Akhmatova's "voice" is not that of a supreme being lecturing on high but rather of one person conversing, confiding, contemplating with another. Thus, this Russian woman enters your life through the poetry of her own and it's a very gratifying experience.