Anna Akhmatova is one of the most important Russian poets of the 20th century, best-known for her two last works, Requiem and Poem Without a Hero. Like other writers and artists of her day, Akhmatova's life and works were much affected by the political upheaval of her country.
Brief Biography of Anna Akhmatova
Born in Odessa, Russia, on June 23, 1888, Anna Akhmatova was educated in Kiev. In 1910, she was 22, and while living in St. Petersburg, she married the poet Nikolai Gumilev.
As a breaking way from symbolism and to describe real experiences, Akhmatova and Gumilev encouraged art for art's sake. They became leading figures in a new literary movement called Acmeism. Between 1912 and 1921, she published five very successful collections of poetry.
However, the Russian Revolution of 1917 which brought communists to power, had a dramatic effect on her life. The new government became less tolerant of artistic expression as it tried to control the Russian society in every aspect of life.
Effect of Russian Revolution
Akhmatova was not allowed to publish anything between 1923 and 1940. Her poetry was criticized for being unpatriotic. Her private life was likewise marred with sadness as her marriage to Gumilev ended in 1918, and later he was shot as a traitor.
In 1934 her only son, Lev, was arrested and sent into exile by Joseph Stalin. This was more than enough inspiration for her to write the poem Requiem, which remained banned in the Soviet Union until long after she was demised.
Last Years of Akhmatova
During World War II, she lived in Tashkent in the far east of the Soviet Union, where she began work on a long poem about her life in Russia called Poem Without a Hero. She also published patriotic poems in official magazines. After the war she was again criticized by the government, and her poems were officially banned until the mid-1950s.
Anna Akhmatova died in Moscow at the age of 77, on March 5, 1966. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 her poetry has been freely available. By the time of her death, she was honored throughout Europe. She is credited with inspiring a new generation of Russian poets.
A Quote from Akhmatova
"Will I melt away in an official hymn? / Don't bestow, don't bestow, don't bestow on me / A diadem from some dead brow. / Soon I will need a lyre, / But that of Sophocles, not Shakespeare. / At the threshold stands – Destiny." ~Anna Akhmatova, Poem Without a Hero, translated by Judith Henschmeyer.
Works by Anna Akhmatova
- Evening, 1912
- The Rosary, 1914
- The White Flock, 1917
- Ecstacy Collection, 1918
- Plantain, 1921
- Lot's Wife, 1922-1924
- Anno Domini MCMXXI, 1922
- From Six Books, 1940
- Poem Without a Hero, 1960
- Requiem, 1964
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
- Uglow, Jennifer, Compiler & Editor, revised by Maggy Hendry. The Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography, 3rd Edition. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1999.
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