"Nekropolʹ" i drugie vospominanii︠a︡ Book

What a delight this book was! In each of the nine chapters, poet Vladislav Khodasevich talks about one of the seminal figures from Russia’s Silver Age of the 1920s and 1930s, from Esenin to Gorky, Blok to Bely and others. He knew all of these writers, associated with them frequently and brings them to life on the page. The early 20s were a vibrant and exciting time in Russia but also a very challenging tone, and sometimes it was a challenge simply to survive. Hunger and poverty affected them all. Khodasevich writes with insight and honesty, never flattering his subjects and is quite sharp at times. He felt free to express himself openly as he wrote after his subjects’ death. I found the book a brilliantly evocative portrait of the time and place and it’s a fascinating literary memoir which will appeal to any lover of Russian literature.