Aleksandr Blok: A Life

Alexander Blok (1880-1921), one of Russia's greatest modern poets, lived through a period in which a staid and traditional world was being destroyed and a new, often alarming utopia was being projected. A member of the intelligentsia and of the Russian landed aristocracy, Blok changed from being a detached observer of revolution into a committed servant of the Russian people. His early poetic mysticism gave way to the historical vision of his most famous poem, "The Twelve". This account of his life and art evokes the troubled world of the Russian intelligentsia, their illusions and their disarray in the face of revolution. Blok's complicated emotional life, his passion for his art, and his public stature are all conveyed here with economy, elegance and understanding.