New Translation Invites Readers to Batyushkov's Golden Age of Russian Poetry

Sibelan Forrester reviews Writings from the Golden Age of Russian Poetry (Columbia University Press, 2017)—a precious tome filled with Konstantin Batyushkov's poems and a bit of biography, in translation, and with helpful context thanks to Peter France—at Los Angeles Review of Books. Readers who have no knowledge of Batyushkov should have no fear, as Forrester explains: "If you need to ask who Konstantin Batyushkov is, this is the book for you." Why not start there: 

For fans of Russian poetry, and especially for Russophone poets, Batyushkov (1787–1855) is a vital figure who wrote exquisite verse and helped to usher in what is known as the Golden Age of Russian poetry. Admired by contemporaries, he is read and cited by later poets as well. Peter France, framer of this book, notes that Batyushkov is too often mentioned or discussed merely as a precursor of the best-known Golden Age poet, Aleksandr Pushkin (1799–1837); Pushkin is a relatively minor presence in this narrative, though often “name-checked” to provide context. This selection-cum-biography of Batyushkov is part of the Russian Library now emerging from Columbia University Press, underlining the commitment of that series to making Russian classics available in English. The cover describes Peter France as presenter and translator, which understates what he has done: besides introducing the volume, he is the author of a substantial artistic and intellectual biography of the poet that provides a large selection of Batyushkov’s own writings in France’s translation. The verse is set apart graphically, making it easy to flip through the book following the poetry — ideally after reading the whole thing through.

Learn more about Batyushkov at LARB.