Anna Akhmatova: Poet and Prophet

by Roberta Reeder

A definitive biography, ten years in the making, of Russia's greatest twentieth-century woman poet recounts her aristocratic childhood in St. Petersburg, her reputation for clairvoyance, her influential innovations in the art of poetry, her abuse by Stalin, and more.

Genres: Biography, Poetry, Nonfiction, Russia, Russian Literature, History

619 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[ReemK10 (Paper Pills) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once swore never to read another biography again. I had just finished reading Richard Ellmann's (may he rest in peace) biography of James Joyce, which although superb, I thought was extremely intrusive and exposed Joyce way too much.The scholar had clearly done his homework, but for me, personally, it was too much info. I didn't want or need to know every single detail of Joyce's life. It was that painful!!!


So, Anna Akhmatova. 


I first discovered Anna Akhmatova when the brilliant Iraqi American author, Sinan Antoon tweeted some verses of hers. I thought, whoa, I need to read Anna Akhmatova!!! I cringe to think about how ignorant I had been that I hadn't known of Akhmatova, or alternatively I may have heard of her, but she hadn't yet clicked with me.🤦🏻‍♀️!


So, the plan to read Akhmatova became #AkhmatovaAtSomePoint and slowly morphed into a group of 97 readers who signed on to read #Akhmatova22.

I reached out to my friend, Yelena Furman, who reached out to her friend, Boris Dralyuk, for a recommendation on where to start. It was then decided that we would read Roberta Reeder's biography of Anna Akhmatova. And that was how I rescinded my bio ban.


And am I glad I did! Roberta Reeder did a magnificent job of presenting Anna Akhmatova to her readers. I found it to be very respectful of Akhmatova, and I got a really good sense of this sensitive poet  that I very much wanted to know. I highly recommend reading this biography! I loved the poems that were weaved in. I loved learning about how Akhmatova's friends adored her and did everything in their power to care for such a special woman. I loved how Anna's words were like darts to the heart!! I loved how we had a great group of readers who were really into the text. I loved how we had quite a few Russians who grew up on Anna Akhmatova and were willing to reread with us. All this made for a transformative reading experience!!! This is a book that will remain on my coffee table as a reminder of a time well spent!


"And a woman with translucent eyes
( Of such deep blue, that to gaze into them
And not think of the sea was impossible)
With the rarest of names and white hands,
And a kindness that as an inheritance 
I have from her, it seems-
Useless gift for my harsh life..."


"I no longer smile 
A freezing wind chills my lips,
One less hope becomes
One more song."


"Let him not desire my eyes,
Prophetic and fixed,
He will get a whole lifetime of poems,
The prayer of my arrogant lips."


"There's a crop of Novgorof blood
In me- like a shard of ice in frothy wine.
And this can never be remedied, 
Great heat will not melt it,
And no matter what I begin to praise-
You, silent, shine before me."


"A bitter new shirt
For my beloved I sewed.
The Russian earth loves, loves
Droplets of blood."


"Foreign bread smells like wormwood."


To the New Year! To new bitterness!


"Only not this, not this, not this,
This we don't have the strength to read!"


"For thirteen years they have been cursing me...and cruelly"


"But it is pure nonsense, that I live grieving 
And that reminiscence gnaws at me."


"Between " remember " and "recall," friends,
The distance is like that between Luga
And the land of satin dominoes"

(Luga is near Petersburg,  and " the land of satin dominoes" is Venice.)


"Foreigners wandered in
And wrote in their respective papers
That my incomparable gift had died out,
That I had been a poet among poets,
But my thirteenth hour had struck."


"But had I observed from there
The life I am living today,
I would finally discover envy..."


"Anna of all Rus double- crowned- the crown of thorns and the starry crown of poetry...She is as immortal as the Russian word."

"And everyone followed after me, my readers, I took you with me on that unrepeatable road."

Check out #Akhmatova22 to read all of our tweets:

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Akhmatova...

[Patricia Joynton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am paging through this book again, and want to especially thank my daughter, Natalie, for bringing Anna to my attention. What it says to me is that she appreciates excellence when she sees it. While Billy Collins sails around the room, Akhmatova sails around the universe. Although, in my mind, no one can compete with John Donne, but she comes very close.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary book. Not only an extremely well documented and detailed account of Akhmatova ‘s life and times, but also a wonderful introduction to her poetry with many commented poems . Such a rich work. I borrowed it from the library but had to buy it so that I can now return to the poetry of that extraordinary woman.

[David]

It has sent me searching for our collection of Akhmatova’s poems. Interesting that details, especially of the late 30s, confirm some fiction I’ve been recently reading. A very sad, but also very strong life.

[Yelena Nikitina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't know why I picked up this book - I have been circling round it like a cat for months. It seems that even one sentence from the review - that Akhmatova influenced the emerging poetic gift of Gumilev should have turned me away from it, but well... here we go, guys! Let's meet in a week or so :)

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Akhmatova: Poet and Prophet (c1990) / Roberta Reeder. I like long and detailed biographies and this certainly fit the bill. It also was, for me, a long and detailed exposure to fine poetry, a special experience. And, thirdly—apart from some Russian literature classes decades ago—I feel as if I’ve visited the country, particularly the Soviet Union, in an “up close” manner, from a citizen’s perspective.

[Carol Keefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helps me to see what the poet may have meant in her poems. I am especially interested in the gift of prophecy and its role in the Russian Orthodox Church. Someone made note of the prophecies she spoke, but how many were not understood, misinterpreted, and lost in the turmoil? She traveled quite a bit within Russia. What a turbulent time of wars she lived through in Russian history.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-documented book about a great poet. Often interesting, but sometimes disorganized and occasionally going into too much detail.