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Biography

Osip Emilievich Mandelstam (1891–1938) was an outstanding Russian poet, translator, and essayist whose work had a profound impact on 20th-century Russian literature. His life and creative output were closely intertwined with the tragic events of Russian history, including the Revolution, the Civil War, and the Stalinist repressions.

Early Life and Education
Osip Mandelstam was born on January 15, 1891, in Warsaw, into a Jewish family. His father, Emil Mandelstam, was a successful merchant, and his mother, Flora Osipovna, was a homemaker. In 1900, the family moved to Saint Petersburg, where Osip studied at the Karl May Gymnasium. In 1907, he entered the law faculty of Saint Petersburg University but soon transferred to the Faculty of History and Philology, where he studied history and literature.

Literary Career
Mandelstam began writing poetry in his youth, and his early works were published in various literary journals. In 1911, he met Anna Akhmatova, who had a significant influence on his work. His first collection of poems, Stone, was published in 1913 and earned him recognition in literary circles.

Revolution and Civil War
After the October Revolution of 1917, Mandelstam remained in Petrograd, though he viewed the new government critically. In 1919, he moved first to Kiev and then to Moscow, where he continued to write and publish his poetry. In 1922, he was arrested on charges of counter-revolutionary activity but was soon released.

Emigration and Return
In 1922, Mandelstam was forced to emigrate from the USSR and spent several years in Germany and France. In 1923, he returned to the Soviet Union, where he continued his literary activity. His second collection of poems, Tristan and Isolde, was published in 1925 and received great interest from critics.

Repressions and Arrest
In the 1930s, Mandelstam became a victim of Stalinist repression. In 1934, he was arrested on charges of anti-Soviet activity and exiled to Cherdyn. In 1937, he was arrested again and sent to Vorkuta, where he spent several months in a labor camp. In 1938, Mandelstam was transferred to a camp near Magadan, where he died on December 27, 1938, from exhaustion and illness.

Literary Legacy
Osip Mandelstam’s work had a significant influence on Russian literature. His poetry is characterized by deep philosophical insight, delicate lyricism, and masterful command of language. Mandelstam was also a talented translator, working with texts in French, German, and English.

Personal Life
Osip Mandelstam was married to Nadezhda Khazina, with whom he had two children. His personal life was closely connected to his literary activity, and he often drew upon his personal experiences and emotions in his poetry.

Conclusion
Osip Mandelstam remains one of the most important figures in 20th-century Russian literature. His life and work stand as a powerful testimony to the tragic events of Russian history and to courage and resilience in the face of repression.

 

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Commentaries

- Неизвестная сторона жизни Осипа Мандельштама [Aspects inconnus de la vie de Mandelstam] Ирина ИВАНОВА, 2022, Kultura Peterburga

 

 

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Photos, videos, texts

Стихотворение Осипа Мандельштама / Poème de Ossip Mandelstam / Poem by Osip Mandelstam


Кинематограф / Cinématographe / Cinematograph

Кинематограф

Кинематограф. Три скамейки.
Сантиментальная горячка.
Аристократка и богачка
В сетях соперницы-злодейки.

Не удержать любви полёта:
Она ни в чём не виновата!
Самоотверженно, как брата,
Любила лейтенанта флота.

А он скитается в пустыне,
Седого графа сын побочный.
Так начинается лубочный
Роман красавицы графини.
И в исступленьи, как гитана,
Она заламывает руки.
Разлука. Бешеные звуки
Затравленного фортепьяно.

В груди доверчивой и слабой
Ещё достаточно отваги…
Похитить важные бумаги
Для неприятельского штаба.

И по каштановой аллее
Чудовищный мотор несётся
Стрекочет лента, сердце бьётся
Тревожнее и веселее.

В дорожном платье, с саквояжем,
В автомобиле и в вагоне,
Она боится лишь погони,
Сухим измучена миражем.

Какая горькая нелепость:
Цель не оправдывает средства!
Ему – отцовское наследство,
А ей – пожизненная крепость!


Cinématographe

Cinématographe. Trois bancs.
Fièvre sentimentale.
Une aristocrate et une riche héritière
dans les filets d’une rivale malveillante.

On ne peut retenir l’élan de l’amour :
il n’est coupable de rien !
Avec un dévouement fraternel,
elle aimait le lieutenant de marine.
Et lui erre dans le désert,
fils illégitime d’un comte grisonnant.
Ainsi commence un roman d’imagerie populaire
de la belle comtesse.

Et, dans un délire, telle une gitane,
elle se tord les mains.
Séparation. Sons furieux
d’un piano traqué.

Dans sa poitrine confiante et fragile
il reste encore assez de courage…
Dérober des documents importants
pour l’état-major ennemi.

Et le long d’une allée de marronniers
un moteur monstrueux s’élance,
la pellicule crépite, le cœur bat
plus anxieux et plus joyeux.

En robe de voyage, avec un sac,
en automobile et en wagon,
elle ne craint que la poursuite,
épuisée par un mirage aride.

Quelle amère absurdité :
la fin ne justifie pas les moyens !
À lui — l’héritage paternel,
à elle — la forteresse à perpétuité !


Cinematograph

Cinematograph. Three benches.
A sentimental fever.
An aristocrat and a wealthy lady
caught in the snares of a villainous rival.

Love’s flight cannot be restrained:
it is guilty of nothing!
With selfless devotion, like to a brother,
she loved a naval lieutenant.

And he wanders in the desert,
the illegitimate son of a gray-haired count.
Thus begins a popular, melodramatic tale
of a beautiful countess.

And in frenzy, like a gypsy,
she wrings her hands.
Separation. Frenzied sounds
of a hunted piano.

In her trusting and fragile breast
there is still enough courage…
To steal important papers
for the enemy headquarters.

And along a chestnut avenue
a monstrous motor rushes,
the film reel rattles, the heart beats
more anxiously and more joyfully.

In a travel dress, with a valise,
in a car and on a train,
she fears only pursuit,
tormented by a dry mirage.

What bitter absurdity:
the end does not justify the means!
To him — his father’s inheritance,
to her — a life sentence in a fortress!



Photo kai.ru