A Stranger to Heaven and Earth

Anna Andreevna Akhmatova (1889-1966) used poetry to give voice to the struggles and deepest yearnings of the Russian people, for whom she remains the greatest of literary heroines. She has lately come to symbolize for the world even beyond Russia the power of art to survive and transcend the terrors of our century. The poems in this selection are related to the truth-telling that was Akhmatova's central purpose -- individually, collectively, and spiritually.