Arseny Tarkovsky
Encyclopedia
Arseny Alexandrovich Tarkovsky ' onMouseout='HidePop("9856")' href="/topics/Kirovohrad">Elisavetgrad
– May 27, 1989, Moscow
) was a prominent Soviet and Russian poet and translator. He is considered one of the great 20th century Russian poets. He was also the father of influential film director Andrei Tarkovsky
.
, Russian Empire
(now Kirovohrad
, Ukraine
) to the family of a bank clerk, Narodnik
, and amateur actor of Polish origin Aleksandr Tarkovsky (Aleksander Tarkowski) and his Ukrainian wife Maria Rachkovska. Aleksandr Tarkovsky had been a student of Ivan Karpenko-Kary (Tobilevych).
, and from 1924-1925 he worked for a newspaper for railroad workers called "Gudok."
Tarkovsky managed a section that had to be filled with an editorial written in verse, as that was believed to be easier for the readers than the ordinary prosaic editorials. Each day, Tarkovsky would either write such poetical editorials himself, or hire other poets to do it. The poetry of these editorials usually was not of a very high quality.
In 1925-1929 he studied at a state university to be a professional writer of fiction. At that time he translated poetry from Turkmen
, Georgian
, Armenian
and Arabic
.
During World War II
he worked as a war-correspondent at the Army Newspaper Boevaya Trevoga (War Alarm). He was wounded in action in 1943. The leg wound he received caused gaseous gangrene
, and Tarkovsky had to undergo six gradual amputations.
In his lifetime Arseny Tarkovsky was mainly known as a splendid translator of Abu'l-Ala-Al-Ma'arri
, Nizami, Magtymguly
, Kemine
, Sayat-Nova
, Vazha-Pshavela
, Adam Mickiewicz
, Mollanepes
, Grigol Orbeliani
and many other poets.
He was a friend of Marina Tsvetaeva
, and is sometimes referred to as the "Last Love of Marina Tsvetaeva". Being younger than Anna Akhmatova
and Marina Tsvetaeva he imbibed the poetic traditions of the Silver Age generation and interpreted them through the prism of his personality in his creativity.
He composed his own poetry throughout his life, but did not publish it until his fifties. Then he published nine books of poetry:
He lived mostly in Moscow and Peredelkino
and died on May 27, 1989 in Moscow. In 1989 he was posthumously awarded the USSR State Prize
.
These two are considered by some critics to be a part of the best poetry written in Russian in the 20th century.
Also very famous are
in the homepage of Laszlo Forizs Not enough ("Только этого мало")(Stalker
) Стол накрыт на шестерых together with Tsvetaeva's response, in verse translations by Alexander Givental (UC Berkeley)
Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad , formerly Yelisavetgrad, is a city in central Ukraine. It is located on the Inhul River. It is a motorway junction. Pop. 239,400 ....
– May 27, 1989, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a prominent Soviet and Russian poet and translator. He is considered one of the great 20th century Russian poets. He was also the father of influential film director Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
.
Origin
Tarkovsky was born on June 25 N.S. 1907 in Elisavetgrad, Kherson GovernorateKherson Governorate
The Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad , formerly Yelisavetgrad, is a city in central Ukraine. It is located on the Inhul River. It is a motorway junction. Pop. 239,400 ....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) to the family of a bank clerk, Narodnik
Narodnik
Narodniks was the name for Russian socially conscious members of the middle class in the 1860s and 1870s. Their ideas and actions were known as Narodnichestvo which can be translated as "Peopleism", though is more commonly rendered "populism"...
, and amateur actor of Polish origin Aleksandr Tarkovsky (Aleksander Tarkowski) and his Ukrainian wife Maria Rachkovska. Aleksandr Tarkovsky had been a student of Ivan Karpenko-Kary (Tobilevych).
Career
By 1924 Tarkovsky moved to MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and from 1924-1925 he worked for a newspaper for railroad workers called "Gudok."
Tarkovsky managed a section that had to be filled with an editorial written in verse, as that was believed to be easier for the readers than the ordinary prosaic editorials. Each day, Tarkovsky would either write such poetical editorials himself, or hire other poets to do it. The poetry of these editorials usually was not of a very high quality.
In 1925-1929 he studied at a state university to be a professional writer of fiction. At that time he translated poetry from Turkmen
Turkmen language
Turkmen is the national language of Turkmenistan...
, Georgian
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
, Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he worked as a war-correspondent at the Army Newspaper Boevaya Trevoga (War Alarm). He was wounded in action in 1943. The leg wound he received caused gaseous gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
, and Tarkovsky had to undergo six gradual amputations.
In his lifetime Arseny Tarkovsky was mainly known as a splendid translator of Abu'l-Ala-Al-Ma'arri
Al-Ma'arri
Abul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri was a blind Arab philosopher, poet and writer....
, Nizami, Magtymguly
Magtymguly Pyragy
Magtymguly Pyragy was a Turkmen spiritual leader and philosophical poet who made significant efforts to secure independence and autonomy for his people in the 18th century....
, Kemine
Mametveli Kemine
Mämmetweli Kemine was a Turkmen satirical poet whose works have become a key part of Turkmen literature.Born in Seraks, he studied at the Islamic medrassah in Bukhara....
, Sayat-Nova
Sayat-Nova
Sayat-Nova Sayat-Nova Sayat-Nova (born as Harutyun Sayatyan , was an Armenian poet, musician and ashik who had compositions in a number of languages. His adopted name Sayat Nova meant "Master of Songs" in Persian.- Biography :...
, Vazha-Pshavela
Vazha-Pshavela
Vazha-Pshavela is the pen-name of the Georgian poet and writer Luka P. Razikashvili , a classic of the new Georgian literature.- The biography :...
, Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
, Mollanepes
Mollanepes
Mollanepes is a town and capital of Wekilbazar District in the Mary Province of Turkmenistan. Mollanepes is also the name of a famous national writer of Turkmenistan who lived in the past centuries....
, Grigol Orbeliani
Grigol Orbeliani
Grigol Orbeliani was a Georgian Romanticist poet and soldier in the Imperial Russian service. One of the most colorful figures in the 19th-century Georgian culture, Orbeliani is noted for his patriotic poetry, lamenting Georgia's lost past and independent monarchy...
and many other poets.
He was a friend of Marina Tsvetaeva
Marina Tsvetaeva
Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was a Russian and Soviet poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russian literature. She lived through and wrote of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Moscow famine that followed it. In an attempt to save her daughter Irina from...
, and is sometimes referred to as the "Last Love of Marina Tsvetaeva". Being younger than Anna Akhmatova
Anna Akhmatova
Anna Andreyevna Gorenko , better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova , was a Russian and Soviet modernist poet, one of the most acclaimed writers in the Russian canon.Harrington p11...
and Marina Tsvetaeva he imbibed the poetic traditions of the Silver Age generation and interpreted them through the prism of his personality in his creativity.
He composed his own poetry throughout his life, but did not publish it until his fifties. Then he published nine books of poetry:
- Перед снегом - Before snow (1962);
- Земле земное - Earthly to Earth (1966);
- Вестник - Messenger (1969);
- Стихотворения - Verses (1974);
- Зимний день - Winter Day (1980);
- Избранное - Selected works (1982);
- Стихи разных лет - Verses of different years (1983) - compilation of early verses;
- От юности до старости - From Youth to Senility(1987)
- Благословенный Свет - The Blessed Light (1993 -posthumously).
He lived mostly in Moscow and Peredelkino
Peredelkino
Peredelkino is a dacha complex situated just to the southwest of Moscow, Russia.-History:The settlement originated as the estate of Peredeltsy, owned by the Leontievs , then by Princes Dolgorukov and by the Samarins. After a railway passed through the village in the 19th century, it was renamed...
and died on May 27, 1989 in Moscow. In 1989 he was posthumously awarded the USSR State Prize
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
.
Tarkovsky's poetry
Tarkovsky's most famous poems are, perhaps,- Жизнь, Жизнь (Life, Life)
- Первые Свидания (First Meetings)
These two are considered by some critics to be a part of the best poetry written in Russian in the 20th century.
Also very famous are
- С утра я тебя дожидался вчера...
- "25 ИЮНЯ 1935
- Отнятая у меня, ночами...
- Если б, как прежде, я был горделив...
External links
Biography and works of Arseny Tarkovsky Another Biography Biography A selection of English translated poems Poem "I learned the grass as I began to write" Center for the Art of Translation An English translation of Tarkovsky's "Star Catalog" English Translation of Tarkovsky's poem I dreamed this dream and I still dream of it Four poems from The MirrorThe Mirror (1975 film)
The Mirror is a 1975 Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. It is loosely autobiographical, blending childhood memories, newsreel footage and poems by his father Arseny Tarkovsky...
in the homepage of Laszlo Forizs Not enough ("Только этого мало")(Stalker
Stalker (film)
Stalker is a 1979 science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, with a screenplay written by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, loosely based on their novel Roadside Picnic...
) Стол накрыт на шестерых together with Tsvetaeva's response, in verse translations by Alexander Givental (UC Berkeley)