Introduction. "Speaking in voices" : on Maria Stepanova's literary creation, by Irina Shevelenko -- Part I. The here-world -- A Gypski, a Polsk I, a Jewski, a Russki -- The North of sleep. Head's in a pillow cradle -- Adieu, until one branched floor higher -- Ahoy! Beyond the azure's tempest -- For you, but the voice of the straitened Muse -- The Bride -- The Pilot -- The morning sun arises in the morning -- As Danae, prone in the incarce-chamber -- It is certainly time to stop -- Even bluer than the toilet tiles -- (a birthday on the train) -- (half an hour on foot) -- July 3rd, 2004 -- The Women's Locker Room at "Planet Fitness" -- Sarah on the Barricades -- The Desire to Be a Rib -- Bus Stop : Israelitischer Friedhof -- Zoo, Woman, Monkey -- Part II. Displaced person -- And a vo-vo-voice arose -- In the festive sky, impassivable, tinfurled -- Saturday and Sunday burn like stars -- In every little park, in every little square -- Mom-pop didn't know him -- Mama, what janitor -- A train rides down entire Russia -- Ordnance was weeping in the open -- The A went past, Tram-Traum -- Well I don't sing Kupitye papirosn -- The light swells and pulses at the garden gate -- In the village, in the field, in the forest -- A deer, a deer stood in that place -- The last songs are assembling -- My dear, my little Liberty -- There he lies in his new bed, a band of paper round his head -- Don't wait for us, my darling -- Don't strain your sight -- Four Operas -- In Unheard-of Simplicity -- Displaced Person -- Part III. Spolia -- Spolia -- War of the Beasts and the Animals -- Today Before Yesterday (excerpt) -- After the Dead Water -- Intending to Live -- At the Door of a Notnew Age -- Part IV. Over Venerable Graves -- The Maximum Cost of Living (Marina Tsvetaeva) -- Conversations in the Realm of the Dead (Lyubov Shaporina) -- What Alice Found There (Alisa Poret) -- The Last Hero (Susan Sontag) -- From That Side : Notes on Sebald -- Over Venerable Graves.
Summary:
"Maria Stepanova is one of the most powerful and distinctive voices of Russia's first post-Soviet literary generation. An award-winning poet and prose writer, she has also founded a major platform for independent journalism. Her verse blends formal mastery with a keen ear for the evolution of spoken language. As Russia's political climate has turned increasingly repressive, Stepanova has responded with engaged writing that grapples with the persistence of violence in her country's past and present. Some of her most remarkable recent work as a poet and essayist considers the conflict in Ukraine and the debasement of language that has always accompanied war. The Voice Over brings together two decades of Stepanova's work, showcasing her range, virtuosity, and creative evolution. Stepanova's poetic voice constantly sets out in search of new bodies to inhabit, taking established forms and styles and rendering them into something unexpected and strange. Recognizable patterns of ballads, elegies, and war songs are transposed into a new key, infused with foreign strains, and juxtaposed with unlikely neighbors. As an essayist, Stepanova engages deeply with writers who bore witness to devastation and dramatic social change, as seen in searching pieces on W. G. Sebald, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Susan Sontag. Including contributions from ten translators, The Voice Over shows English-speaking readers why Stepanova is one of Russia's most acclaimed contemporary writers"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.