Tadas Frismantas Frismantas itibaren 310 38 Skavbo, Zweden itibaren 310 38 Skavbo, Zweden

Disappointing overall... dark, which I loved... but underwhelming in general.

Osip Mandelstam was a member of the Guild of Poets, aka Acmeism, an early 20th-century Russian literary movement with other recognizable names such as Anna Akhmatova. Mandelstam's anti-establishment poetry was difficult to publish and after denouncing Stalin in 1934 he was sent into exile (his first but not last experience). The thing about Russian poetry (specifically of the non-conformist variety) is that is deliciously dark, and cold, and real: O Lord, help me to live through this night - I'm in terror for my life, your slave: to live in Petersburg is to sleep in a grave. The big difficulty I have with excerpted poetry in collections such as this is that I am always wondering what I am missing. I have a problem with someone telling me how I should read something, so reading a selection of someone else's choices makes me grumble inside. However, for a first experience in reading Mandelstam I have to say the choices here were quite yummy and it certainly makes me want to read his full poetry. Extra-delicious is Conversation about Dante included at the end. Meow!

It was great, not my favourite but still good. The characters were nice, the suspence was addictive and you just wanted to skip every single page to see Ryan/who took lauren. The ending is unforgetable and I shall read the 2nd because I'm desperate to know what will happen!!!!