Thank you to Konstantin Batyushkov, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for this free honest reviewer copy of "Writings from the Golden Age of Russian Poetry."

Confession: I've had a growing focus on Russia lately, to which no one who knows me will find at all surprising, so when I saw this text was being offered I could not help but jump at it being one of my greatest passions (poetry) and suddenly my newest passion (Russia/all things Russian) suddenly. It seemed like a perfect windfall to end up in my unexpecting lap.

It was very helpful that translator added information to the text telling us about Batyushkov life so that we might have even further context before we got into the meat of the poetry being offered.

The poetry is dark, dreary, at times cold, situation in empty spaces and yearning for more, but finding misery. I felt the longing in my heart, as well as the deep weight of history pressing all of these pieces, or perhaps more on the writing of the writer trying to convey his message both with and through it.


This is, also, another text (and poet) from NetGalley I will be incorporating into my teaching of World Literature next year.

Confession: I wanted to study Russian in college so that I may read Russian literature--an obsession of mine--as it was meant to be appreciated. Sadly, not enough people matriculated and Russian was not offered during my time at university. Nevertheless, my passion for Russian literature in translation has never waned and this ARC is a great example of the wonders created by this nation's literati.

While not Russian, I'm still a Slav, so Russian literature was always a big part of my life. "Euegene Onegin" always was one of my favourite books. So it was a delight to read some poetry by an author I have never really heard of before! Especially when the translator & biographer provided us with some essential noted on Batyushkov's life to help understand his poetry. It's as cold and dark as I usually expect from Russian poems, that atmosphere of solitude & misery that's somehow still hopeful and always, always close to my heart.

Essential reading for anyone interested in Russian literature. In spite of my studies, I’d never even heard of Konstantin Batyushkov and this book is an excellent introduction to his life and work. Batyushkov is an esteemed contributor to the Golden Age of Russian poetry and was much admired by his contemporaries. He’s still admired today and yet he is sometimes considered merely a precursor to Pushkin. This book attempts to place him back in the pantheon of great Russian poets and make his work available to an English-speaking readership. Peter France has translated many of the poems, or extracts from them and interweaves the work into a well-written and insightful biography. He also includes extracts form Batyushkov’s prose and letters, thus filling out the portrait of this little known (in the West) figure.

https://randomramblingsofawriter.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/book-review-writings-from-the-golden-age-of-poetry/

Peter France presents the work of Konstantin Batyushkov (1787-1855), mostly arranged chronologically, an organization that allows him to treat discussion of the poet’s work in parallel with the events of his life. He situates Batyushkov’s work within the context of Russian poetry very effectively, commenting on the poet’s participation in debates on the Ancients and the Moderns as well as in the literary group Arzamas, which contributed to establishing the Golden Age of Russian poetry. The chronological treatment at times fights with France's analysis of the poet's corpus as a whole. For instance, France provides excellent tracking of the influence of French, Italian, Classical and other literature on Batyushkov’s work, but the threads can get lost at times as they are spread over many chapters. Similarly, fine treatment of the various genres in which the poet wrote (elegy, letters, essays, satire, etc.) is included, but dispersed. I found myself wishing for a timeline displaying life events and poetic writings side by side for easier visual apprehension of their connection. None of this is to diminish France's accomplishments. His translation of Batyushkov’s work into English is alone of great service to both scholars and readers in general. Though Batyushkov may not have the status of Pushkin, the reader will encounter some poems in this book that take the breath away.

Konstantin Batyushkov was one of the most important poets of his time. He has become lost in the mythology of Pushkin and specifically how in history he prefigures Pushkin. Understood on his own terms you find a brilliant deep soul of a man often tormented with depression that found great solace in poetry. Despite personal losses and seeing the horrors of war that would be familiar to modern conflicts he finds a way of getting personal solace and contributing to the development of Russian and world literature.

His poetry is often reminiscent of Byron and Sappho. Batyushkin was not a sentimentalist however and to his own profession in the military he never romanticizes it. In the depths of the Russian countryside he felt a deep communion with nature that seemed to repair in him the sadness that encumbered his life. This is mostly what his poetry is about; loss and finding some solace in the face of that loss.

One gets a sense of a deeply soulful man that creates a dream like world in poetry that contradicts a world that seemed quite soulless. Batyushkin's depression is not something unique but rather the reader will be able to relate to him and also find inspiration in this biography as well. In his dream like elegies we see the deep sense of satisfaction and worth that can be gained through inspiration in nature and reflective poetry.

The book is for anyone interested in the development of Russian poetry and culture but also for those who have known the effects of depression in themselves or others. Batyushkin's biography is intertwined with a pivotal moment in Russian history (the Napoleonic wars) and culture (the development of modern Russian poetry) where Batyushkov finds himself struggling with his own personal turmoil. In his poetry and the story of his life we find an honest portrayal of depression and an uplifting story about how a deep poetic mind confronts it.

Writings from the Golden Age of Russian Poetry by Konstantin Batyushkov and translated by Peter France is a poetry collection infused into a biography. Batyushkov was a Russian poet, essayist, and translator of the Romantic era. He also served in the diplomatic corps, spending an extended period in 1818 and 1819 as a secretary to the Russian diplomatic mission at Naples. France is honorary fellow and professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh. He has translated French and Russian prose texts as well as the works of many Russian poets, most recently Lermontov, Baratynsky, Mandelstam, and Aygi.

Russian poetry tends to be difficult to find in the West. Russia had no shortage of poets and no shortage of very good poets. Much of the problem lies in the translation. Russian poetry is heavy on feminine rhyme. Feminine rhymes end in unstressed syllables preceded by stressed syllables. In English these rhymes usually depend on suffixes, for example, shocking and stocking. In Russian feminine rhyme is much more common and easily lost in translation. France does an excellent job of preserving the rhythm and form of the original Russian.

Batyushkov lead an amazing life filled with adventure, through wars, and the place of history when he lived. He saw Moscow burn and fought in Finland and was part of the chase that forced Napolean back to France. In his own words:

What a life I have lived for poetry! Three wars all on horseback and the highways of the world.

France weaves together Batyushkov's poetry and places it in context with his life. His poetry on war is notable in that even in victories he does not resort to false heroics or patriotic embellishments.  Most of Batyushkov's writing is pastoral with limited rhymes.  His writing was brilliant and he was a leader of Russia's Golden Age of Poetry.  However, by 1820, at the age of 33, his depression and developing mental illness ended his writing career.  He spent the next 35 years moving about before resettling in the town of his birth where he died from typhus in 1855.

France does a commendable job of introducing the poet and poetry to the English speaking world.  Combining the biography with selected poems adds depth to the poetry as well as an understanding of Russian history and its effects on the poet. Batyushkov's rich personal life provided ample material for his poetry.  Whether watching Moscow burn or crossing the Neman or the Rhine.  His own return to Russia to stay was recorded the "Return of Odysseus."  A great introduction to 19th century Russian poets and poetry.

Really good collection of overlooked Russian culture