A review by grumpwizard
Selected Poems Of Anna Akhmatova by Richard McKane, Anna Akhmatova

4.0

I do not know if it was myself opening to these poems or a growth in her skill, but as I worked through this collection, Akhmatova’s verse became more and more astounding to me. I had never heard of her before and was delighted to experience this beautiful poetry. As the book goes on through her younger, bolder years, we hear insights from a poet in a country whose voice has been quieted. Her lines become more and more steely as she faces and writes about waiting in line and hoping to see her son outside of the prison the Gestapo has again taken him to. It is beautiful and sad truth.