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The Poems of Doctor Zhivago.
The 25 poems from Pasternak's masterpiece Doctor Zhivago are followed by a masterful critique of their function in the novel and their value as poetry.
204 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
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509 people want to read
About the author
Boris Pasternak
599 books1,638 followersBoris Leonidovich Pasternak was born in Moscow to talented artists: his father a painter and illustrator of Tolstoy's works, his mother a well-known concert pianist. Though his parents were both Jewish, they became Christianized, first as Russian Orthodox and later as Tolstoyan Christians. Pasternak's education began in a German Gymnasium in Moscow and was continued at the University of Moscow. Under the influence of the composer Scriabin, Pasternak took up the study of musical composition for six years from 1904 to 1910. By 1912 he had renounced music as his calling in life and went to the University of Marburg, Germany, to study philosophy. After four months there and a trip to Italy, he returned to Russia and decided to dedicate himself to literature.
Pasternak's first books of verse went unnoticed. With My Sister Life, 1922, and Themes and Variations, 1923, the latter marked by an extreme, though sober style, Pasternak first gained a place as a leading poet among his Russian contemporaries. In 1924 he published Sublime Malady, which portrayed the 1905 revolt as he saw it, and The Childhood of Luvers, a lyrical and psychological depiction of a young girl on the threshold of womanhood. A collection of four short stories was published the following year under the title Aerial Ways. In 1927 Pasternak again returned to the revolution of 1905 as a subject for two long works: "Lieutenant Schmidt", a poem expressing threnodic sorrow for the fate of the Lieutenant, the leader of the mutiny at Sevastopol, and "The Year 1905", a powerful but diffuse poem which concentrates on the events related to the revolution of 1905. Pasternak's reticent autobiography, Safe Conduct, appeared in 1931, and was followed the next year by a collection of lyrics, Second Birth, 1932. In 1935 he published translations of some Georgian poets and subsequently translated the major dramas of Shakespeare, several of the works of Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, and Ben Jonson, and poems by Petöfi, Verlaine, Swinburne, Shelley, and others. In Early Trains, a collection of poems written since 1936, was published in 1943 and enlarged and reissued in 1945 as Wide Spaces of the Earth. In 1957 Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak's only novel - except for the earlier "novel in verse", Spektorsky (1926) - first appeared in an Italian translation and has been acclaimed by some critics as a successful attempt at combining lyrical-descriptive and epic-dramatic styles.
Pasternak lived in Peredelkino, near Moscow, until his death in 1960.
Pasternak's first books of verse went unnoticed. With My Sister Life, 1922, and Themes and Variations, 1923, the latter marked by an extreme, though sober style, Pasternak first gained a place as a leading poet among his Russian contemporaries. In 1924 he published Sublime Malady, which portrayed the 1905 revolt as he saw it, and The Childhood of Luvers, a lyrical and psychological depiction of a young girl on the threshold of womanhood. A collection of four short stories was published the following year under the title Aerial Ways. In 1927 Pasternak again returned to the revolution of 1905 as a subject for two long works: "Lieutenant Schmidt", a poem expressing threnodic sorrow for the fate of the Lieutenant, the leader of the mutiny at Sevastopol, and "The Year 1905", a powerful but diffuse poem which concentrates on the events related to the revolution of 1905. Pasternak's reticent autobiography, Safe Conduct, appeared in 1931, and was followed the next year by a collection of lyrics, Second Birth, 1932. In 1935 he published translations of some Georgian poets and subsequently translated the major dramas of Shakespeare, several of the works of Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, and Ben Jonson, and poems by Petöfi, Verlaine, Swinburne, Shelley, and others. In Early Trains, a collection of poems written since 1936, was published in 1943 and enlarged and reissued in 1945 as Wide Spaces of the Earth. In 1957 Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak's only novel - except for the earlier "novel in verse", Spektorsky (1926) - first appeared in an Italian translation and has been acclaimed by some critics as a successful attempt at combining lyrical-descriptive and epic-dramatic styles.
Pasternak lived in Peredelkino, near Moscow, until his death in 1960.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 22, 2018
A great companion to the novel, just not quite as good.
February 1, 2023
So, this isn’t a review of Dr Zhivago, the novel, but of the poems written by Dr Zhivago in the novel. If you have seen the movie, you may recall a night he goes to a den in his house, a room with lots of windows, and it’s in the dead of a Russian winter. He has a pen, fresh ink, fresh paper, a blazing desire to write and he is smiling from ear to ear (that is, the actor Omar Sharif is) because he knows he will be undisturbed, and can write in solitude for as long as he likes.
It is every artist’s dream moment. Zhivago begins to write a poem. Outside, in the snow and pines, the wolves are howling. He happily launches the nib of his pen across the paper, paper white as the winter outside the window, and he is content and fully alive in the act of creation.
This book is a collection of the poems written by Dr Zhivago in the course of the novel which means, of course, they are ultimately written by the author of the novel, Boris Pasternak himself.
They are beautiful.
It is every artist’s dream moment. Zhivago begins to write a poem. Outside, in the snow and pines, the wolves are howling. He happily launches the nib of his pen across the paper, paper white as the winter outside the window, and he is content and fully alive in the act of creation.
This book is a collection of the poems written by Dr Zhivago in the course of the novel which means, of course, they are ultimately written by the author of the novel, Boris Pasternak himself.
They are beautiful.
March 17, 2014
I don't really feel qualified to review this book. The poems are translated in what appears to be a beautiful manner. They flow nicely, and read well. Donald Davie is a poet, so I'm not surprised at that. I struggled and choked my way through each of his commentaries, however, finding very little resonance or explanation of the poems, and not feeling furthered in my quest to help understand the poems, or the novel better.
When I got to the last few poems and commentaries, the reason (perhaps) why I didn't find the commentaries resonating with me at all, became somewhat clear to me. He likened Zhivago to Christ, and Lara to Mary Magdalene, not just in the religious poems at the end of the sequence, but throughout the prose narrative as well. Well, NO WONDER nothing he was saying was making sense to me. When I read Zhivago, Zhivago seemed to me to be a standin for Pasternak, and Lara for Russia herself.
He's the professional, I suppose. But I don't really agree, or perhaps understand is better, with his commentaries. In any event, they weren't like a Cliffs Notes for the poems!
When I got to the last few poems and commentaries, the reason (perhaps) why I didn't find the commentaries resonating with me at all, became somewhat clear to me. He likened Zhivago to Christ, and Lara to Mary Magdalene, not just in the religious poems at the end of the sequence, but throughout the prose narrative as well. Well, NO WONDER nothing he was saying was making sense to me. When I read Zhivago, Zhivago seemed to me to be a standin for Pasternak, and Lara for Russia herself.
He's the professional, I suppose. But I don't really agree, or perhaps understand is better, with his commentaries. In any event, they weren't like a Cliffs Notes for the poems!
March 15, 2019
What an amazing set of poems!
One thinks that beauty and pleasure end when the novel concludes. But Pasternak keeps amazing us till the very last page by creating a mind-blowing collection of unforgettable poems.
For me, the Candle Light poem was the best, and I admit that it drove me to tears. The whole scene was heartbreaking for me.
Pasternak has become one of my favorite writers.
God bless Russian novelists!
One thinks that beauty and pleasure end when the novel concludes. But Pasternak keeps amazing us till the very last page by creating a mind-blowing collection of unforgettable poems.
For me, the Candle Light poem was the best, and I admit that it drove me to tears. The whole scene was heartbreaking for me.
Pasternak has become one of my favorite writers.
God bless Russian novelists!
Read
April 19, 2020It's really hard to find a good translation that covers all the bases, lyricism, rhythm, original meaning, and rhyme. So if anyone needs me....I'll be off learning Russian.
March 17, 2014
It's okay. Comment is on the translation, not on the poems. These poems are translated by Eugene M. Kayden, for a cute, slim little volume that includes illustrations, that is a Hallmark Edition. And, you know, the poems are sort of Hallmark-y. They're quite easy to understand, not as flowery as some of the other translations (I've seen the translations in the Hayward & Harari translation of the novel, in the Pevear & Volokhonsky translation of the novel, and in another separate volume by Donald Davie, which also includes Davie's commentary on each poem).
Two poems included in Pasternak's novel are absent from Kayden's Hallmark Edition volume: "Fairy Tale" (poem 13 of 25), and "Parting" (poem 16 of 25). I don't really know why they're absent, but they are.
Two poems included in Pasternak's novel are absent from Kayden's Hallmark Edition volume: "Fairy Tale" (poem 13 of 25), and "Parting" (poem 16 of 25). I don't really know why they're absent, but they are.
February 19, 2017
ХАМЛЕТ
Спря шумът. На Сцената съм вече.
До вратата плътно прилепен,
аз долавям в отгласа далечен
всичко, дето ще се случи с мен.
Мракът на нощта е в мен насочен,
с хиляди бинокли ме следи.
Само тая чаша. Ава Отче,
днес да ме отмине отреди.
Вярвам, твоят замисъл голям е,
ще играя ролята докрай,
но това сега е друга драма
и отсрочка тоя път ми дай.
Но подред, обмислено се действа;
и на пътя ти стои черта.
Аз съм сам. Във всичко — фарисейство.
Не от ден до пладне — до смъртта!
Спря шумът. На Сцената съм вече.
До вратата плътно прилепен,
аз долавям в отгласа далечен
всичко, дето ще се случи с мен.
Мракът на нощта е в мен насочен,
с хиляди бинокли ме следи.
Само тая чаша. Ава Отче,
днес да ме отмине отреди.
Вярвам, твоят замисъл голям е,
ще играя ролята докрай,
но това сега е друга драма
и отсрочка тоя път ми дай.
Но подред, обмислено се действа;
и на пътя ти стои черта.
Аз съм сам. Във всичко — фарисейство.
Не от ден до пладне — до смъртта!
September 4, 2011
I love the movie, love the poetry.
March 20, 2022
The pigeons peck at oats in snow
About the sheds and stables flung
Wide open, and vaster than spring air
The smell of life-begetting dung.
Everything plays a part in beauty, Pasternak makes sure you remember that.
About the sheds and stables flung
Wide open, and vaster than spring air
The smell of life-begetting dung.
Everything plays a part in beauty, Pasternak makes sure you remember that.
August 19, 2025
I think I prefer traditional poetry over modern. This was a joy to read aloud
Read
January 4, 2017#31 : A book of poetry
I've had this book on the shelf for a while and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get to it. Most of the poems felt a bit long and drawn out to me, but I like some of the imagery that was described. I particularly like this image:
The dawn! It swept that last of the stars
Like flecks of ash from the vaulted sky.
("Star of the Nativity" ll 78-79, pg 44)
The poems also seemed to follow a descending pattern as well. They start about life and nature. Poems of spring and sunlight. From there it progresses to love and passion. After that it comes to loss, and everything grows cold and dark. Lots of winter themes emerge and ghosts. Lastly, after everything else, the poems take on a religious tone. Not even a tone, they just start becoming religious, literally. The last half of the book takes on an almost fanatical devotion to God and Jesus as if the person who had been through all the previous stages had nothing left to fall back on after the loss of the love and passion phase.
I've had this book on the shelf for a while and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get to it. Most of the poems felt a bit long and drawn out to me, but I like some of the imagery that was described. I particularly like this image:
The dawn! It swept that last of the stars
Like flecks of ash from the vaulted sky.
("Star of the Nativity" ll 78-79, pg 44)
The poems also seemed to follow a descending pattern as well. They start about life and nature. Poems of spring and sunlight. From there it progresses to love and passion. After that it comes to loss, and everything grows cold and dark. Lots of winter themes emerge and ghosts. Lastly, after everything else, the poems take on a religious tone. Not even a tone, they just start becoming religious, literally. The last half of the book takes on an almost fanatical devotion to God and Jesus as if the person who had been through all the previous stages had nothing left to fall back on after the loss of the love and passion phase.
February 20, 2017
قصائد جيفاكو التي كتبها باسترناك على لسان بطله - دكتور جيفاكو- بعضها مرتبط بأحداث الرواية أو فلسفة جيفاكو و بعضها عن الطبيعة و عن الطقوس المسيحية .. كالعادة الترجمة العربية و الأنجليزية لا تعطي النغم الموسيقي في كل القصائد
و أن الكون و اأسفاه بسيط حقا
لا يريد أن نظنه خبيثا إلى هذا الحد
و أن الغابة تحس الموت في الروح
و أن لكل شئ في الدنيا نهايته
و نرى أنه من العبث البحث لكي نفهم
حين يحترق حولنا كل شئ
***
ما الحياة إلا هنيهة
إلا إذابة نفوسنا
في نفوس الآخرين
كأننا نعطي هبة
***
3/5
و أن الكون و اأسفاه بسيط حقا
لا يريد أن نظنه خبيثا إلى هذا الحد
و أن الغابة تحس الموت في الروح
و أن لكل شئ في الدنيا نهايته
و نرى أنه من العبث البحث لكي نفهم
حين يحترق حولنا كل شئ
***
ما الحياة إلا هنيهة
إلا إذابة نفوسنا
في نفوس الآخرين
كأننا نعطي هبة
***
3/5
Want to read
September 9, 2010This book was in my Dad's house in NY. The inscription reads,
"To My Wife, you are my shining star, Happy Birthday, with all my love, For longer than always. Yours, Chris"
This was Lee (Ilya), the love of his life, one of his 4 wives, can't remember whether it was number 3 or 4.
It has a very old smell. Beautifully illustrated.
"To My Wife, you are my shining star, Happy Birthday, with all my love, For longer than always. Yours, Chris"
This was Lee (Ilya), the love of his life, one of his 4 wives, can't remember whether it was number 3 or 4.
It has a very old smell. Beautifully illustrated.
August 7, 2014
The author himself is much more interesting than his work: "Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature the following year, an event which both humiliated and enraged the Communist Party of the Soviet Union."
Honestly, it looks like we gave him an award just to spite the censorship of the USSR.
Honestly, it looks like we gave him an award just to spite the censorship of the USSR.
September 15, 2010
Great Russian novel. Epic, tragic, subtle.
October 26, 2013
Enjoyable poetry. I would like to find them in Russian now, I think the authors work would be more in his native language.
August 14, 2016
Beautiful, lots of willow references. I love the artwork too. Even the more religious poems I found liking to.
August 17, 2016
I have my Mom's copy of this and it is a nice collection of inspirational poetry.
June 6, 2022
Book 47 out of 200 books
"The Poems of Dr. Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak
Boris Pasternak's accompaniment book to "Dr. Zhivago" spans a collection of poems compiled to a book of around 60-70 pages titled "The Poems of Dr. Zhivago". First translated and published nearly a decade over Pasternak's death, "The Poems of Dr. Zhivago" serves as an extra passage to the insight of not only his character but the novel and the times of the oeuvre also.
MY THOUGHTS:
So publishing this book, let alone translating it, must've been a nightmare publishing it for Pasternak. Let alone publishing "Dr. Zhivago" was condemned and censored, what about publishing accompaniment poems to supplement the character?
The poems of this book were good, quite like what a skilled poet of the modern day would write. The poems were religious by its contextual nature, but still, a great accompaniment book.
It took me nearly a month to actually read this book because I was reading other books. The book being only 60-70 pages, but I didn't exactly find time in reading this.
A last note for this book review, having the hardcover of this book feels rewarding.
"The Poems of Dr. Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak
Boris Pasternak's accompaniment book to "Dr. Zhivago" spans a collection of poems compiled to a book of around 60-70 pages titled "The Poems of Dr. Zhivago". First translated and published nearly a decade over Pasternak's death, "The Poems of Dr. Zhivago" serves as an extra passage to the insight of not only his character but the novel and the times of the oeuvre also.
MY THOUGHTS:
So publishing this book, let alone translating it, must've been a nightmare publishing it for Pasternak. Let alone publishing "Dr. Zhivago" was condemned and censored, what about publishing accompaniment poems to supplement the character?
The poems of this book were good, quite like what a skilled poet of the modern day would write. The poems were religious by its contextual nature, but still, a great accompaniment book.
It took me nearly a month to actually read this book because I was reading other books. The book being only 60-70 pages, but I didn't exactly find time in reading this.
A last note for this book review, having the hardcover of this book feels rewarding.
January 9, 2022
i don’t really know how to rate a collection of poems, because they’re very subjective. i guess you could say that about all written works, about everything really, but i’m going to think about this regarding very *subjective* biases, and focus far less on particular skill.
these weren’t my favorite poems—i did, however, really love the ones depicting nature or love. i felt i could relate to those more versus the semi-overwhelming biblical/spiritual pieces. i don’t favor those.
but also i really loved this addition, so i think three stars will suffice, i guess? i’m not an expert on poetry and this is quite outdated.
these weren’t my favorite poems—i did, however, really love the ones depicting nature or love. i felt i could relate to those more versus the semi-overwhelming biblical/spiritual pieces. i don’t favor those.
but also i really loved this addition, so i think three stars will suffice, i guess? i’m not an expert on poetry and this is quite outdated.
April 5, 2020
I've never read Doctor Zhivago or seen a film version of it, so I think these poems lose a lot in being removed from their original context. Many of them are religious in content; they're fine, but none of them really speak to me.
The real draw of this volume is the beautiful sepia toned drawings throughout; I don't know much about art, but they look to me as if they were drawn with a fountain pen in sepia ink.
The real draw of this volume is the beautiful sepia toned drawings throughout; I don't know much about art, but they look to me as if they were drawn with a fountain pen in sepia ink.
September 4, 2021
2021.78: Interesting to read poetry written as part of novel as stand alone works.
July 29, 2022
I was a fan of the movie as a teenager so read these poems and found them very pleasant.
August 9, 2022
I haven't read Dr. Zhivago yet, so I'm sure the additional context gives these poem more meaning, but presented on their own merits in this format, I don't find much to recommend here.
July 20, 2023
Αριστούργημα. Λακωνικότητα, λιτότητα, λυρισμός.
February 16, 2024
dr zhivago the man that you are
May 12, 2024
Just different from the style I prefer.
Nothing I could really sink my teeth into, so to speak.
Nothing I could really sink my teeth into, so to speak.
February 25, 2025
Beautiful poetry. I loved all the Biblical references in them. <3
June 17, 2025
Can anyone identify the edition of the translation of the Dr Zhivago for me based on the cover art? (A dacha in sparkling snow, bright white against bright blue sky.) I read the version with this cover art and loved the book, while a friend read a different translation at the same time and thought it was a slog. I’ve never seen this cover on a book online or in the library since to identify the translation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews