Osip Mandelstam

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Lore & Background

Mandelstam was born on 14 January 1891 in Warsaw to a wealthy Polish-Jewish family. His father, a leather merchant, secured a dispensation freeing the family from the Pale of Settlement. Soon after his birth, they moved to Saint Petersburg. As a schoolboy, he was introduced to members of the illegal Socialist Revolutionary Party. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Heidelberg, then converted to Methodism to enter the University of Saint Petersburg in 1911, though he did not complete a formal degree. His first collection, 'The Stone', appeared in 1913. In 1922, Mandelstam moved to Moscow with his wife Nadezhda. His second book, 'Tristia', was published in Berlin. He also worked as a translator and a newspaper correspondent. He recited it at small private gatherings; a trusted friend memorized it and handed a written copy to the police. On the night of 16–17 May 1934, he was arrested by NKVD officers. Under interrogation, he admitted authorship. On 26 May, Mandelstam was sentenced to three years' exile in Cherdyn in the Northern Ural, accompanied by his wife. The strain drove him to attempt suicide. He was then allowed to choose his place of exile, and they moved to Voronezh. Stalin had given an order to 'isolate and preserve' him, and he was temporarily safe. He had written an 'Ode to Stalin' hoping for protection. The couple lived in Kalinin (Tver) and visited Moscow. He was arrested on 5 May 1938 and charged with counter-revolutionary activities. On 2 August, he was sentenced to five years in correction camps. He sent a last letter describing his extreme exhaustion. On 27 December 1938, he died of typhoid fever. Fellow inmates concealed his death for two days to collect his rations. His body was buried in a mass grave in spring.

Reader's Guide

Mandelstam's significance lies in his role as a foremost member of the Acmeist school, which emphasized clarity and concreteness in poetry. The posthumous publication of his works and the accounts of his wife Nadezhda have cemented his reputation as a martyr for artistic freedom. His prophecy that 'only in Russia is poetry respected, it gets people killed' underscores the lethal stakes of his craft.

Did You Know?

• Mandelstam converted to Methodism in 1911 to enter the University of Saint Petersburg, from which Jews were excluded.
• He wrote the manifesto for the Acmeist movement, 'The Morning Of Acmeism', in 1913.
• After his first arrest, he attempted suicide by throwing himself out of a hospital window in Cherdyn.
• His death was concealed by fellow inmates for two days so they could continue to collect his rations.