What do you think?
Rate this book
Four of Us: Pasternak, Akhmatova, Mandelstam, Tsvetaeva
"….The fact of the matter is that everything that happens in culture ultimately comes down to this, to the four famous temperaments: melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic, and choleric. That’s what I think. It seems to me that our Big Four can also be divided by according to these temperaments, inasmuch as all of them are actually very distinctly represented in the group. Tsvetaeva is unquestionably the choleric author. Pasternak is sanguine. Mandelstam is melancholic. And Akhmatova is phlegmatic. Together they cover the whole poetic universe."
-Joseph Brodsky
Included in this dual-language book is a selection of 10 poems from each poet translated into English by Andrey Kneller.
-Joseph Brodsky
Included in this dual-language book is a selection of 10 poems from each poet translated into English by Andrey Kneller.
108 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2015
66 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Boris Pasternak
596 books1,601 followersBoris Leonidovich Pasternak was born in Moscow to talented artists: his father a painter and illustrator of Tolstoy's works, his mother a well-known concert pianist. Though his parents were both Jewish, they became Christianized, first as Russian Orthodox and later as Tolstoyan Christians. Pasternak's education began in a German Gymnasium in Moscow and was continued at the University of Moscow. Under the influence of the composer Scriabin, Pasternak took up the study of musical composition for six years from 1904 to 1910. By 1912 he had renounced music as his calling in life and went to the University of Marburg, Germany, to study philosophy. After four months there and a trip to Italy, he returned to Russia and decided to dedicate himself to literature.
Pasternak's first books of verse went unnoticed. With My Sister Life, 1922, and Themes and Variations, 1923, the latter marked by an extreme, though sober style, Pasternak first gained a place as a leading poet among his Russian contemporaries. In 1924 he published Sublime Malady, which portrayed the 1905 revolt as he saw it, and The Childhood of Luvers, a lyrical and psychological depiction of a young girl on the threshold of womanhood. A collection of four short stories was published the following year under the title Aerial Ways. In 1927 Pasternak again returned to the revolution of 1905 as a subject for two long works: "Lieutenant Schmidt", a poem expressing threnodic sorrow for the fate of the Lieutenant, the leader of the mutiny at Sevastopol, and "The Year 1905", a powerful but diffuse poem which concentrates on the events related to the revolution of 1905. Pasternak's reticent autobiography, Safe Conduct, appeared in 1931, and was followed the next year by a collection of lyrics, Second Birth, 1932. In 1935 he published translations of some Georgian poets and subsequently translated the major dramas of Shakespeare, several of the works of Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, and Ben Jonson, and poems by Petöfi, Verlaine, Swinburne, Shelley, and others. In Early Trains, a collection of poems written since 1936, was published in 1943 and enlarged and reissued in 1945 as Wide Spaces of the Earth. In 1957 Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak's only novel - except for the earlier "novel in verse", Spektorsky (1926) - first appeared in an Italian translation and has been acclaimed by some critics as a successful attempt at combining lyrical-descriptive and epic-dramatic styles.
Pasternak lived in Peredelkino, near Moscow, until his death in 1960.
Pasternak's first books of verse went unnoticed. With My Sister Life, 1922, and Themes and Variations, 1923, the latter marked by an extreme, though sober style, Pasternak first gained a place as a leading poet among his Russian contemporaries. In 1924 he published Sublime Malady, which portrayed the 1905 revolt as he saw it, and The Childhood of Luvers, a lyrical and psychological depiction of a young girl on the threshold of womanhood. A collection of four short stories was published the following year under the title Aerial Ways. In 1927 Pasternak again returned to the revolution of 1905 as a subject for two long works: "Lieutenant Schmidt", a poem expressing threnodic sorrow for the fate of the Lieutenant, the leader of the mutiny at Sevastopol, and "The Year 1905", a powerful but diffuse poem which concentrates on the events related to the revolution of 1905. Pasternak's reticent autobiography, Safe Conduct, appeared in 1931, and was followed the next year by a collection of lyrics, Second Birth, 1932. In 1935 he published translations of some Georgian poets and subsequently translated the major dramas of Shakespeare, several of the works of Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, and Ben Jonson, and poems by Petöfi, Verlaine, Swinburne, Shelley, and others. In Early Trains, a collection of poems written since 1936, was published in 1943 and enlarged and reissued in 1945 as Wide Spaces of the Earth. In 1957 Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak's only novel - except for the earlier "novel in verse", Spektorsky (1926) - first appeared in an Italian translation and has been acclaimed by some critics as a successful attempt at combining lyrical-descriptive and epic-dramatic styles.
Pasternak lived in Peredelkino, near Moscow, until his death in 1960.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 17, 2020
I am not a poetry expert nor poetry connaisseur, but I enjoyed this book very much. The book features selected works of four Russian poets (Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Mandelstam) of the Silver Age. Each chapter focuses on one poet with a very brief biography and the selected poems in Russian and English translation. I must admit sometimes I even liked the translation better. Kneller, the author of this book, did a wonderful job.
February 12, 2018
Its only short, so maybe not amazing value for money but its a fantastic introduction to the four poets. There is a little biography page introducing each, followed by a short selection of their poems. If you want to get to grips with Russian poetry, this is the best start I could imagine. You could read it in day, rather than wasting months or years by not even getting round reading books on the authors separately. I think I spotted one error that wasn't proof read properly, but I can't check what it was now as I've given the book to a charity shop today as my gift to the world!
August 28, 2019
Well done
I know no Russian, and so can't comment from that point of view; but the poems as they appear in English here are powerful, and real English poetry. Also: I am all for presenting all translations of poetry together with the original, as is done here. Bravo. A labor of love that has paid off (tho not, sadly, I am sure, in dollars). I will read more in this translator 's series of Russian poems.
I know no Russian, and so can't comment from that point of view; but the poems as they appear in English here are powerful, and real English poetry. Also: I am all for presenting all translations of poetry together with the original, as is done here. Bravo. A labor of love that has paid off (tho not, sadly, I am sure, in dollars). I will read more in this translator 's series of Russian poems.
April 1, 2024
An excellent selection that made me want to get more from each of them.
May 21, 2020
"The sea and Homer – all are moved by love."
This is a slim collection, but an ideal introduction to four of the 20th centuries best know (and greatest) Russian poets.
I've read Pasternak and Akhmatova before in other translations. I found Pasternak, in Second Nature: Poems by Boris Pasternak (translated by Andrei Navrozov) much more opaque than in this version by Kneller, but perhaps that is as much a question of selection as translation. I might revisit Second Nature and see if I can translate it into understanding.
Kneller has done a good job of making you want to read more of all four of these poets. I already love Anna Akhmatova - a picture of her from the National Portrait Gallery in London hangs above the mantelpiece in my room - and I was aware of both Mandelstam and Tsvetaeva but haven't read much of either of them. That I intend to change. I found both of them fascinating to read. So, in that sense Kneller does a fine job.
I can't judge the translations. I don't speak Russian. I wish I did. But then I wish I spoke French, Italian, German, Japanese, Welsh and Spanish too. Because when it comes to poetry I think translation is doubly difficult. It's like distilling the already distilled or catching a reflection in a moving mirror.
Anyway, this is a good first port of call if you want to test the waters of these four writers.
This is a slim collection, but an ideal introduction to four of the 20th centuries best know (and greatest) Russian poets.
I've read Pasternak and Akhmatova before in other translations. I found Pasternak, in Second Nature: Poems by Boris Pasternak (translated by Andrei Navrozov) much more opaque than in this version by Kneller, but perhaps that is as much a question of selection as translation. I might revisit Second Nature and see if I can translate it into understanding.
Kneller has done a good job of making you want to read more of all four of these poets. I already love Anna Akhmatova - a picture of her from the National Portrait Gallery in London hangs above the mantelpiece in my room - and I was aware of both Mandelstam and Tsvetaeva but haven't read much of either of them. That I intend to change. I found both of them fascinating to read. So, in that sense Kneller does a fine job.
I can't judge the translations. I don't speak Russian. I wish I did. But then I wish I spoke French, Italian, German, Japanese, Welsh and Spanish too. Because when it comes to poetry I think translation is doubly difficult. It's like distilling the already distilled or catching a reflection in a moving mirror.
Anyway, this is a good first port of call if you want to test the waters of these four writers.
April 18, 2015
Fantastic choice of poems, excellent translations. Really helped me prepare for my Russian literature exam - and made me discover some new favourite poems!
May 19, 2017
Good overview
This is an excellent overview of four of Russia's most important poets. As always, I am most drawn to Anna Akhmatova and Marina Tsvetaeva's.
This is an excellent overview of four of Russia's most important poets. As always, I am most drawn to Anna Akhmatova and Marina Tsvetaeva's.
November 5, 2016
A short snapshot of 4 Russian poets, Four of Us does little than offer a brief glimpse of fragmented lyrics. It's format is an interesting one, potentially a great introduction for the uninitiated, but actually winds up being far too short. Not one of these poets is given enough time to sink in. The introductions to each are very vague and offer very few distinguishing features. With a detailed biography and analysis of each poet, the little glimpses of their work might be more rewarding. As it is, everything seems to short and lacking in substance and context. Apart from the date and title, poems taken from their collections seem a little lost and without an anchor.
The quality, however, is not to be dismissed. The forth poet, Tsvetaeva, is the stand out. Her poems just out immediately with a timeless, lyrical voice and that mastery of a suckerpunch line found in powerful poets like Erich Fried and Kaleko. They have a romanticism and a sense of morbidity which almost seems the missing link between Russian's literature and American rock and roll. Her poem "Prayer" ends with the magical couplet "You've made my youth a fairytale / Now let me die - at seventeen!" which can not help but echo Janis Ian a little. The following poems, a series of untitled gems, continue with sentiments of wastrel youth, melacholy and thwarted romance. One in particular tells of a never happened affair ("...never feeling -sadly! - mad about me / For me not feeling - sadly! - mad for you") that evokes a sense of irony and denial which makes it impossible to know the poet's true heart.
There is rarely a dull poem in this collection, although the two women leave the strongest impressive. Mandelstam's Leningrad is a dreary, quietly romantic and nostalgic city portrait. Another nostalgic untitled poem links land and loss with gorgeous descriptions ("Frenzied now, I reminisce / Of those towering dark firs"). Otherwise, he is the only one who uses clunky classical references, something that makes the rest very refreshing and hard to date. Akhmatova is perhaps the lightest and most accesible...one poem addressed to Chulkova is an uplifting ode to spring time with musical lyrics ("You marvel at your body's lightness / And do not recognise your home / And sing again with new excitement / The song that once seemed tiresome"). Pasternak is darker and more negative in tone. Even positive titles like "Sunrise" start with lines like "You were my life sometime ago" and the themes lean more towards those of war and death, the seasons of winter and cold winds.
What they have in common is a strict yet lovely lyrical sense of structure and rhyme, lending them a songlike, folky quality. The women in particular are masters of tight, hypnotic rhymes and rhythms, both the obvious and the internal heartbeat within and between the lines. Credit must go to the translator as well, Andrey Kneller, who has done the difficult task of translating all of that along with the language itself. He also signs off with a heartfelt thanks for reading and an invitation to read more, revealing a humility and a love of the source material that other writers could benefit from. Certainly, as well as the beautiful poetry, his words do encourage further reading, perhaps in a more contained structure where one can really get to know one of these poets on their own turf. 6
The quality, however, is not to be dismissed. The forth poet, Tsvetaeva, is the stand out. Her poems just out immediately with a timeless, lyrical voice and that mastery of a suckerpunch line found in powerful poets like Erich Fried and Kaleko. They have a romanticism and a sense of morbidity which almost seems the missing link between Russian's literature and American rock and roll. Her poem "Prayer" ends with the magical couplet "You've made my youth a fairytale / Now let me die - at seventeen!" which can not help but echo Janis Ian a little. The following poems, a series of untitled gems, continue with sentiments of wastrel youth, melacholy and thwarted romance. One in particular tells of a never happened affair ("...never feeling -sadly! - mad about me / For me not feeling - sadly! - mad for you") that evokes a sense of irony and denial which makes it impossible to know the poet's true heart.
There is rarely a dull poem in this collection, although the two women leave the strongest impressive. Mandelstam's Leningrad is a dreary, quietly romantic and nostalgic city portrait. Another nostalgic untitled poem links land and loss with gorgeous descriptions ("Frenzied now, I reminisce / Of those towering dark firs"). Otherwise, he is the only one who uses clunky classical references, something that makes the rest very refreshing and hard to date. Akhmatova is perhaps the lightest and most accesible...one poem addressed to Chulkova is an uplifting ode to spring time with musical lyrics ("You marvel at your body's lightness / And do not recognise your home / And sing again with new excitement / The song that once seemed tiresome"). Pasternak is darker and more negative in tone. Even positive titles like "Sunrise" start with lines like "You were my life sometime ago" and the themes lean more towards those of war and death, the seasons of winter and cold winds.
What they have in common is a strict yet lovely lyrical sense of structure and rhyme, lending them a songlike, folky quality. The women in particular are masters of tight, hypnotic rhymes and rhythms, both the obvious and the internal heartbeat within and between the lines. Credit must go to the translator as well, Andrey Kneller, who has done the difficult task of translating all of that along with the language itself. He also signs off with a heartfelt thanks for reading and an invitation to read more, revealing a humility and a love of the source material that other writers could benefit from. Certainly, as well as the beautiful poetry, his words do encourage further reading, perhaps in a more contained structure where one can really get to know one of these poets on their own turf. 6
September 27, 2020
I liked the separate poets, but I am realising I don't like anthologies or selected works.
Poems for me work better in places where the poet initially put them; when they're taken out of context, the reading experience is not as immersive.
All four poets are wonderful; I exceptionally enjoyed Pasternak.
Poems for me work better in places where the poet initially put them; when they're taken out of context, the reading experience is not as immersive.
All four poets are wonderful; I exceptionally enjoyed Pasternak.
August 25, 2018
Rating based on the original poetry and the selection, not the translation.
April 30, 2019
A good beginning.
July 1, 2019
Good in that it inspired me to read more of these four poets but only a few poems touched me or stuck out to me. Clever translations.
Read
October 7, 2021"My native tongue, which often sung
To me, as of this day, can't temp me.
I am indiferent in which tongue
The passerby misundertands me."
To me, as of this day, can't temp me.
I am indiferent in which tongue
The passerby misundertands me."
Read
September 7, 2023""
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2024
I reveled in glimpses into four fertile minds. My only gripe is the anthology ended too quickly.
January 6, 2025
Finished it during some night shifts.
Time passed. The heart and feelings left behind have always been sad. The burn marks.
时间流逝。留下的心灵和情感却永远令人惆怅失神。灼伤之痕。
Time passed. The heart and feelings left behind have always been sad. The burn marks.
时间流逝。留下的心灵和情感却永远令人惆怅失神。灼伤之痕。
May 13, 2025
Kneller's translation is a little stiff & sticks more to the word than the spirit (I'll tell you how I knew) & a teeny bit archaic.
But I had loads of fun reading this book. I am very concrete person, poetry is in general very abstract for me. But I love to listen to different people's interpretations of other people's abstractions.
I went to various websites & read 3-4 translations (where available) of the same poem, taking this collection as a base. I read the Wikipedia pages of the 4 poets. I told my Russian pen-friend that I got this book. She replied that the women she despises, Akhmatova & Tsvetaeva, they were demons in their personal lives. But she's likes Mandelstam & Pasternak. That set me thinking how she is conditioned to expect perfection out of women even in conditions of destabilizing tragedy.
Why I had picked this up was that I wanted to read something from Russia, but the "masters"' being the masters put me off them...
But I had loads of fun reading this book. I am very concrete person, poetry is in general very abstract for me. But I love to listen to different people's interpretations of other people's abstractions.
I went to various websites & read 3-4 translations (where available) of the same poem, taking this collection as a base. I read the Wikipedia pages of the 4 poets. I told my Russian pen-friend that I got this book. She replied that the women she despises, Akhmatova & Tsvetaeva, they were demons in their personal lives. But she's likes Mandelstam & Pasternak. That set me thinking how she is conditioned to expect perfection out of women even in conditions of destabilizing tragedy.
Why I had picked this up was that I wanted to read something from Russia, but the "masters"' being the masters put me off them...
August 12, 2025
5 stars mainly for the utter perfection of the shade Tsvetaeva throws in Attempt at jealousy
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews