Episode 8: Requiem by Anna Akhmatova

This episode takes us through the lamentation of Anna Akhmatova's Rekviem / Requiem. In this poem, or cycle of poems, Akhmatova speaks out against the Great Purge under Stalin. We are struck by its evocative power as the poem draws upon intensely personal grief to convey the suffering of thousands of Russians during the Soviet Great Terror. This is also a work that pronounces its political dissidence from its very form down to its use of religious imagery. Although it is an incredibly compelling read, we are left feeling that the power of its poetics – its rhyme scheme and use of meter, for instance – gets somewhat lost in translation. Nevertheless, if something has been lost in its journey out of Russia, we learn that international connections also play an important role in the poem's fascinating transmission history.

Two expert guests tell us more about Akhmatova's Requiem. The extended reflection comes from translator Alex Cigale, whose translation of Requiem was published by the Hopkins Review and can be found here. He also gives the reading in English at the start of the episode, following Akhmatova's own reading in Russian. Later, we interview Alexandra Harrington, who is a Professor in the Department of Russian at Durham University and has published widely on Akhmatova.

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