Anna Akhmatova [Documentary]

(5 stars; 6 reviews)

Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966) is regarded as one of the greatest Russian poets of the twentieth century. Known for her striking beauty and inspirational courage, she wrote about the victims of the terror that pervaded the USSR during the Stalinist era, including devastating purges and gulags.

Writer and broadcaster Robyn Ravlich visited Akhmatova’s apartment in St Petersburg, where the poet secretly wrote her masterpieces, Requiem and Poem Without a Hero, under the watchful eyes of KGB forces. This personal literary pilgrimage reveals surprising details of her intimate and dramatic life, shedding new light on her poems.

The program captures the enduring legacy of Anna Akhmatova, with music from the album The Trackless Woods by Iris DeMent. The apartment, now a museum, remains furnished as it was during her life, filled with her memorabilia and treasured artwork.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.