Pillar of Fire

Selected Poems

Gumilyou Nikolay

This is the first major selection to appear in Britain from one of the finest poets of the Silver Age of Russian literature. The rich, exotic poetry of Nikolay Gumilyov (1886-1921) draws on his extensive travels in Europe and Africa. Its deepest concerns are man's inner being and striving for spiritual fulfilment. He was shot in 1921, unjustly accused of complicity in an anti-Bolshevik plot. His poems were banned and were not published in Russia until the late 1980s. Richard McKane's fluent translations are complemented by a full introduction and detailed notes by the leading western Gumilyov scholar, Michael Basker. An appendix includes nine poems by Anna Akhmatova relating to Gumilyov.

About the Author

Nikolay Gumilyov (1886-1921) was born in Kronstadt. At school he was taught by the Symbolist poet Innokenty Annensky. He spent time in Paris, travelled in Africa and married the poet Anna Akhmatova in 1910 after a long courtship. He joined a cavalry corps at the start of the First World War and was twice decorated for bravery. On August 3, 1921 he was arrested by the Soviet secret police for taking part in a monarchist conspiracy and was duly executed.

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