My AT section decided that Anderson’s translation of Akhmatova’s “Requiem” preserves the artistic value and poetic expression that Akhmatova intended. Even if it is not a direct translation, the aesthetic and the emotional intent is conveys better than Thomas’ translation. It seems as if Anderson took some creative liberties in order to maintain the rhyming and cadence of the piece. This is best exemplified in the last poem, “Epilogue.” We all agreed on this.
!: Interesting how regimes restrict poetry and art because of its inherent politicism
?: Was the Tsar’s regime more authoritarian than Stalin’s?
The inherent politicism in Soviet era art made me question how abstractionist pieces, such as the ones we studied in Professor Munger’s unit, tied into conveying political messages or being an environment of apolitical relief. I wonder how many artists used abstractionism to convey dissent during this era and got away with it because of the abstract nature, and how many artists were persecuted for perceived political statements in their art that were not actually there. The Soviet government was capable of shaping their own reality.