The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry

The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry presents the major themes, forms, genres and styles of Russian poetry. Using examples from Russia’s greatest poets, Michael Wachtel draws on three centuries of verse, from the beginnings of secular literature in the eighteenth century up to the present day. The first half of the book is devoted to concepts such as versification, poetic language and tradition; the second half is organised along genre lines and examines the ode, the elegy, ballads, love poetry, nature poetry and patriotic verse. All poetry appears in the original followed by literal translations. This book is designed to give readers with even a minimal knowledge of the Russian language an appreciation of the brilliance of Russian poetry.

• Extensive treatment of Russian poetry from the eighteenth century to the present • Written by a specialist in the field for use on courses • Offers clear and accessible analysis on a difficult topic to an undergraduate market and provides all poems in both Russian and English

Preface; Acknowledgments; Note on translations and transliterations; Introduction; Part I. Concepts: 1. Versification: how to do things with words; 2. Poetic language; 3. Tradition and the individual talent; Part II. Interpretation: 4. From the ode to the elegy (and beyond); 5. The ballad; 6. Love poetry; 7. Nature poetry; 8. Patriotic verse; Conclusion.

\'This book will help students who are making the leap across the apparently daunting gap between coping with spoken Russian or Russian prose and tackling a poetic text … A helpful index of poetic terms and a reassuringly select list of further reading are provided to help those who are entirely new to the topic. The book is … a \'guide to reading, interpreting, and appreciating it\' … This aim is most certainly achieved … This book offers a concise and concentrated account of the things that poets can do with words, and readers with texts.\' MLR