The Acmeist movement in Russian poetry

This is the first major study in English of the Acmeist movement in its own right.

Acmeism is chiefly known through the three leading Russian poets who participated in the movement - Nikolai Gumilev, Anna Akhmatova, and Osip Mandel'shtam - each of whom are discussed here, as well as less well-known Acmeists.

Justin Doherty's fascinating and original book shows how early twentieth-century Acmeism developed into a specific way of thinking about poetry and the Russian literary tradition, and how this thinking evolved out of poetry criticism as practised in the main Acmeist forum, Tsekh Poetov (The Poet's Guild).

The Acmeist Movement in Russian Poetry maps out a general history of the movement, and addresses the relationship between Acmeism and Russian Symbolism, examining in detail the theoretical and critical principles of the Acmeists. Particular attention is paid to the importance of intertextuality in Acmeist poetic practice. Finally, there is an exploration of the philosophical ideas underpinning the movement, centering on Mandel'shtam's twin concepts of 'Culture' and 'The Word'.

Doherty's sensitive analysis both of Acmeist theoretical works and of Acmeist poetic practice results in an impressive global view of Acmeism as a theoretically grounded literary phenomenon.