Russian poet, Soviet Jew

“Russian Poet/Soviet Jew: The Legacy of Eduard Bagritskii” is a ground-breaking work of biography and literary criticism. Maxim D. Shrayer explores the problem of Jewish identity in the early Soviet period by examining the short but brilliant career of Eduard Bagritskii (1895–1934), a major Russian-Jewish poet. Overlooked in the West, Bagritskii's life and art typify the tortured destiny of Russia's Jews. Shrayer paints an intimate portrait of his subject, providing rare photographs of Bagritskii's life and the first English translations of his major works. Born in Odessa, Bagritskii participated in both the February 1917 Revolution and the Russian Civil War—these events formed the thematic core of his writings. Like his close friend and artistic contemporary Isaak Babel, Bagritskii moved to Moscow in the 1920s. Bagritskii's later years were marked by a critical examination of his own Jewish identity. As a Jew, a Russian poet, and a revolutionary idealist, Bagritskii once believed that the liberated Jews of the Russian Empire would enjoy harmony with their fellow Soviet citizens, giving rise to the new figure of Homo sovieticus Judaeus. Bagritskii's dreams were shattered as a wave of popular anti-Semitism struck Soviet society in the late 1920s. He realized that Soviet ideology not only demanded that Jews shed their cultural, historical, and religious identity but also encouraged them to engage in a Soviet brand of Jewish self-hatred. The poet's initial rejection of his Jewish self was followed by a return to a biblical notion of Jewish selfhood. Bagritskii's last testament, the narrative poem February,is a controversial story of a Jewish youth's rejection by and subsequent triumph over an ethnic Russian girl from the upper class. “Russian Poet/Soviet Jew” includes the first English translation of this seminal work.

Reviews

“An important contribution to the task of recovering and reassessing the work of the first generation of Soviet poets. Shrayer offers an enticing glimpse into several aspects of Russian literary history which have received little attention.”—The Modern Language Review

«Highly provocative and intelligent book. Shrayer's book not only introduces Bagritskii to English-speaking audiences, but also re-examines the Russian poet's legacy, challenging various Western preconceived notions of Soviet literature and of Russian/Jewish identity.»—East European Jewish Affairs

“Well-researched and thoughtful.”—H-Net Reviews

“Shrayer leaves no facet of Bagritskii's production unexplored. . .. Scholars of Russian and Jewish literature and readers of poetry will welcome Shrayer's presentation of Bagritskii to Western readers.”—Choice

“[An] informative and insightful book. . . .. The poet's swan song poem “February . . . is skillfully translated by Mr. Shrayer.”—Forward

“Shrayer leaves no facet of Bagritskii's production unexplored. . .. Scholars of Russian and Jewish literature and readers of poetry will welcome Shrayer's presentation of Bagritskii to Western readers.” — CHOICE.

“In his definitive book, Maxim D. Shrayer makes the problematic world of Bagritskii and his poetry available to the English reader for the first time. . .. This will remain one of the standard studies of Russian-Jewish culture in the early twentieth century.” — Sander L. Gilman, University of Chicago.

«In a virtuoso performance of solid scholarship and artful prose, Maxim D. Shrayer unmasks the dark demons haunting Soviet society and literature during the twentieth century through his enlightening study of Russian-Jewish poet Eduard Bagritskii. Shrayer's muscular critique of the pathos of Stalinism, of hyphenated Jewish life, of virulent anti-Semitism, along with his exquisitely moving translations of Bagritskii's poetry, combine to render Russian Poet/Soviet Jew a compelling achievement.» — Harvey J. Fields, senior rabbi, Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

«Russian Poet/Soviet Jew is to my knowledge the first critical study of a major Russian poet that is devoted entirely to the role of the poet's Jewish heritage in his oeuvre. In the process of gathering the evidence, Shrayer opens up a vast new field of inquiry.» — Victor Terras, Brown University.

“An extremely well-informed introduction to a vibrant poet and a persuasive exploration of dual identity.” — Victor Erlich, Yale University.

“[An] informative and insightful book. . . .. The poet's swan song poem “February . . . is skillfully translated by Mr. Shrayer.” — Forward.

“…enterprising, impressively illustrated and lucid book of and on Eduard Bagritskii. If you care at all for the interplay of poetry and history, buy this book.” (The Jewish Chronicle, UK)

“Well-researched and thoughtful.” — H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online.

«Highly provocative and intelligent book. Shrayer's book not only introduces Bagritskii to English-speaking audiences, but also re-examines the Russian poet's legacy, challenging various Western preconceived notions of Soviet literature and of Russian/Jewish identity.» — East European Jewish Affairs.

“Shrayer has not just provided an important addition to our knowledge of Russian-Jewish literature and its cultural echoes, but has also done much to remind us that Bagritskii as a poet is a figure worth more intensive study than he has been accorded to date.” —Slavic and East European Journal.