Mandelstam

Oleg Lekmanov is a professor at Moscow State University. His main interest has focused on Russian poetry of the twentieth century. Dr. Lekmanov has authored over two hundred articles and his latest papers explore the creative writings of O. Mandelstam, A. Akhmatova, and A. Solzhenitsyn. He is the author of Book on Akmeism (2000) and Sergei Esenin (2007, with Michail Sverdlov).

• Introduction. Chapter One: BEFORE THE FIRST “STONE” (1891-1913). Chapter Two: BETWEEN “STONE” (1913) AND “TRISTIA” (1922). Chapter Three: BETWEEN “TRISTIA” (1922) AND “POEMS” (1928). Chapter Four: BEFORE THE ARREST (1928-1934). Chapter 5: THE FINAL YEARS (1934-1938). Epilogue. NADEZHDA YAKOVLEVNA. Bibliography. Index.

“Oleg Lekmanov’s life of the Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam, is a stark reminder of what happens in a society that descends mindlessly into authoritarianism wherein all things human in time are rendered meaningless. Lekmanov’s concise, fact-driven biography charts the heartbreaking story of Mandelstam’s hounded life in sharp detail.”—Thomas Sanfilip, Literary Yard, October 2024“Lekmanov’s book contains insightful observations of the poems and convincing attempts at psychological reconstruction. The author does not attempt to conceal the hero’s “idiosyncrasies” and manages to forego engaging in “objective Schadenfreude”. Mandelstam was at times funny, hysterical, naïve, but even in the most curious guise he managed to maintain high stature, without which his poetry would not have been possible. Such stature was the stuff of legends. It is also wonderfully illuminated here by amusing (though occasionally common and mean) anecdotes. This is the image of Mandelstam that Lekmanov presents, reminding us of the inherent kinship between poetry and nobleness."