This is a marvelous book. It is extremely difficult to accurately capture the flavor of the original writing in translation, but Kunitz has done this and more - the English itself is poetry. The book is dual language, so readers of Russian can read the original next to the English. Both are excellent.

The selection is fairly representative of Akhmatova's life work, with early poems from 1909, through her affair with the poet Blok in the teens, the Terror and War, to her deathbed in 1961. I particularly enjoyed the translation of the epic "Requiem". Without a doubt, this is the best English version I have ever read. My only complaint is its berevity - at 40 poems, it merely whets the readers appetite for more - a pity, given the outstanding nature of both poet and translator.

For those who are not familiar with Anna Akhmatova, this is a gem. If you have read some of her work, this is a must-have volume. Enjoy!

This is the volume that introduced me to the works of Anna Akhmatova. After having read this in one evening, I could not sleep - I was so moved by her poetry. The translation must have captured her heart and soul because it certainly captured mine - it inspired me to get up in the middle of the night and draw pictures to go with what I had read. I understood at once the love the Russian people have for her. Since then, I have gobbled up everything translated into English that I can find, but I still think this little volume is the best of all and return to it again and again. Enjoy......

This is a moving and beautifully written short novel -- more of a long story, really -- written from the point of view of an adult woman as she and her siblings try to make peace with the unpleasant memories of their late father. The narrator's developing friendship with an elderly man in her neighborhood both provides a narrative counterpoint to the story of her unhappy family and brings her to a better understanding of her troubled father (and mother). There are no surprises -- just elegantly simple writing and a thought-provoking story. I recommend this book highly.

only a mediocre book. she has a bland style and the general concept made no sense. her writing is also non descriptive. her style could use a little work.

I just discovered this book, so near and dear to my heart, listed at Amazon, and was interested in reviewing the one and only review. But, alas, the review was "only a mediocre" review. The reviewer "has a bland style" (whatever that is) and "the general concept made no sense." The reviewer's writing was also "non descriptive," and "the style could use a little work." arborweb has a review of Crystals by Keith Taylor that makes my idiosyncratic heart soar. I welcome critical reviews of any starrage, but this blunt thing I'll snap and fling it from my hand and stagger, weaponless, off into the desert.