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dkevanstoronto's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.
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