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Anna Radlova
The Tale of Tatarinova. Sectarian texts

 

Anna Radlova is a St. Petersburg poet and a beauty icon of the Silver Age, the author of several poetry collections and many translations. In the 1920s, she found herself in the very center of literary and theatrical life. The circle of "emotionalists" created by her and her friends claimed leadership in the new revolutionary culture. At this time, Radlova tried herself in dramatic and prosaic forms. Her texts are distinguished by psychological subtlety and mystical richness, besides they are devoted to the most mysterious pages of Russian history. "The Tale of Tatarinova" (1931; first published by A. Etkind in 1997) is written in dynamic metaphorical prose. It tells about the sectarian community of Ekaterina Tatarinova, which existed in St. Petersburg during the time of Alexander I. "The Bogoroditsyn Ship" (1921) is a drama in five scenes, written in a characteristic verse by Radlova; the plot is based on the apocryphal legend of the Russian Eunuchs. "The Winged Guest" (1922) is a collection of mystical poems through which the tragedy of history and the peculiar eroticism of the author shines through. In her historical prose and poetry, Radlova is based on documentary sources, introducing them into a lyrical plot that strikes with sensational novelty.

ISBN 978-5-89059-453-2