Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova: Amazon.ca: Anna Akhmatova, Judith Hemschemeyer: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

This comprehensive English-only edition of the great Russian poet's works has been expanded to include 80 newly discovered poems. Illustrated.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

These two fat volumes, a 100th-anniversary tribute to the great Russian poet Akhmatova (1889-1966), are clearly a labor of love. Editor Reeder's book-length introduction is a meticulous, well-documented account of the poet's life and poetry through the ebullience of modernist Petersburg, the grim deprivation of two world wars and the 1917 revolutions, the poverty and repression (including the repeated imprisonment of her son) of the interwar years and the vicious official attacks after World War II, and the last years of international honors. This life has made Akhmatova emblematic both of the unbowed intelligentsia and of the unsung heroism of millions of Russian women. The second volume begins with two impressionistic essays by Akhmatova's disciple, the Soviet poet Anatoly Naiman, and distinguished expatriate writer Sir Isaiah Berlin's account of his two meetings with her (Leningrad, 1945, and Oxford, 1965). The edition is lavishly illustrated with the known iconography of Akhmatova herself, her contemporaries, and the Petersburg-Leningrad settings that were her spiritual home. These rich secondary materials make a worthy frame for Akhmatova's glorious poetry, pre sented side by side in Russian and English and arranged, in exemplary fashion, with respect for choices the poet made in lifetime editions. American poet Hemschemeyer devoted well over ten years to the translations, learning Russian for that purpose; her equally exem plary translator's preface explains her working methods and the inevitable compromises involved in the valiant ef fort to create English equivalents for Akhmatova's spare and musical verse. This book will be a treasure for poetry lovers everywhere.
- Mary F. Zirin, Altadena, Cal.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary book by a great poet., Mar 1 2000

By

Sergio Flores (Orange, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova (Paperback)

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.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move over W.B. Yeats and make room for Anna Akhmatova, Sep 8 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova (Paperback)

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.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary book by a great poet., Mar 16 2000

By

Sergio Flores (Orange, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova (Paperback)

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.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poetic Genius Unconstrained
Alexandra Blok a towering figure in Russian Poetry called the period in which Anna Akhamatova worked her poetic magic "The Terrible Years". Read more

Published 18 months ago by Anthony Murphy

5.0 out of 5 stars Somehow a survivor
Akhmatova was one of the few unrepentant Acemist poets to survive Russia's Bolshevik revolution and subsequant Stalinist takeover and purges. Read more

Published on Oct 18 2001