The Death Of A Poet: The Last Days of Marina Tsvetaeva

by Irma Kudrova, Ellendea Proffer, The Overlook Press

Chronicles the final years in the life of one of Russia's most talented poets during the Stalin era, discussing Tsvetaeva's fateful decision to follow her husband, Sergei Efron, back to Moscow from her Paris exile, her arrest for anti-Soviet activity, and descent into a nightmare of official persecution, peer indifference, and World War II that led to her suicide at the age of forty-nine. 17,500 first printing.

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

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most peculiar book - but one that I found entirely engrossing - for one particular reason.

Kudrova must have assumed that the book she wanted to write would appeal only to a very narrow audience - persons who know "all" about MT before they read the first page of her narrative. Not one word of backstory appears in this book. As far as I can tell from the content of her work, MT wrote only one poem, "I refuse to be," (p. 150) between 1937, when she returned to the USSR after decades in France, and 31 Aug 1941, the day she hanged herself. That searingly stunning poem haunts me. Only two or three other poems effect me in this way. But I have to assume that MT actually wrote the poems that critics and readers esteemed so highly - because Kudrova says nothing about them - at all. Very odd, I thought.

What I found most appealing - and fascinating - about Kudrova's book is her own presence in the text. Kudrova is passionately devoted to her subject. What she has given us is a complete account of her research and writing of her micro-biography, all interlarded with the results, which must include every relevant fact, near-fact and plausible inference from fact and near-fact that she or any other reasonably competent biographer who considers the subject is likely ever to formulate.

One of Kudrova's great achievements in this work is her evocation of MT's as a living presence, quite vivid and nearly unbearable - for me. A secondary effect, unintended, I suspect, is Kudrova's presentation of herself as a passionate and altogether indefatigable pursuer of all things Tsvetaeva. I am left with the impression that she expended whatever effort her pursuit of the least little detail of MT's life and experience over her last years required of her - even if it lead to dead ends. We learn of those as well.

I found myself looking at the author's photo on the dust jacket - every time I picked up her book. Quite an appealing expression and smile - the visage of a very energetic and engaged woman, deep in middle age. Just the sort of person who could write such a book.

And for me - who spent over thirty years of intermittent research and writing of a micro-biography, one that I have recently completed, in fact, in reading her book, I sense a kindred spirit in Kudrova. It appears that I am not alone.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was written and originally posted in 2006.

The Death Of A Poet The Last days of Marina Tsevtaeva
By Irma Kudrova.

When I started reading this book I had no idea of
how topical it would be come before I finished
reading it. Since the poisoning of Alexander
Litvinenko the ex-KGB spy in London, there have
been several mentions of Marina Tsvetaeva and her
husband Sergei Efron and with good reason.
Even though Marina comitted suicide in 1941 the
connection she has to current events is to do
with the fact that both her husband and herself
has switched sides from being White russians
living in exile in Paris to becomeing Red
Russians and being repatriated in 1939.
Why did she commit suicide well by 1941 it had
become pretty apparent that her husband Sergei's
activities in Paris working undercover for the
NKVD trying to persuade Russian emigres to
repatriate had caused at the very least the
imprisonment of all who repatriated and at worse
the death of most of them. He was also allegedly
involved in the Reiss affair just prior to WW2
which was portrayed at the time of Russia
murdering it's enemies abroad as well as at home!
It was also shortly after the Reiss murder that
Sergei Efron Repatriated to russia with Marina
Following him. the inevitable then happens and
first her daughter is arrested and then Sergei.
Her daughter didn't get released till after her
mother had hung herself and Sergei had been
executed before Marina killed herself but she
hadn't been informed of his death.
Yes this book is one big tragic story of betrayal
and death and suffering and toruture complete
with KGB interrogation records and all the detail
you could want.
My only criticism of the book is that it has way
too many notes some of which go on for 2 or 3
pages at a time, which made it hard going in some
places.
A good read for anyone interested in the murky
underbelly of secret police and fear tactics.

[Arnoldo Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marina Tsvetaeva was like most of us are fated to be: obscure poets and writers writing as if utopia will rescue us (or at least love). she lived quite a tough life, through the hardships of the Bolshevik-led revolution and then not surviving the repression as World War II began. May anyone of us be so lucky as to write and live under such challenges to the spirit and the pen.

[George]

Personal and emotive... read and judge for yourself..

[Holly Woodward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrowing.