The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova
Somerville, MA: Zephyr Press, 1990. 1st Edition. 2 vols., thick octavo, publisher's maroon buckram, spines and upper boards gilt, original photo-illustrated dust jackets.
"For Akhmatova, to forget was to commit a mortal sin. Memory had become a moral category: one remembers one's misdeeds, atones, and achieves redemption" (from the introduction).
First edition of the definitive collection of Anna Akhmatova's poetry in English translation. Considered one of Russia’s greatest poets and the best-known member of the Acmeist movement, Akhmatova (the pseudonym of Anna Andreevna Gorenko) was as versatile as she was prolific, having begun writing verse when she was only 11 years old. This landmark bilingual collection of her poetry in the original Russian and English translation comprises more than 700 poems, some previously unpublished, with reminiscences of the poet by poet Anatoly Naiman and philosopher Isaiah Berlin, over seventy black-and-white photos and drawings, and extensive bibliographies, notes, and indexes. Edited and introduced by Russian culture scholar Roberta Reeder, and translated by poet Judith Hemscheyer. Fine in unclipped dust jackets, with Shakespeare & Co. price sticker to rear panel of vol. I. Item #7950
$175.00