Joseph Brodsky, Russian poet
Date: 1951 - 1975 [[:Category:|]] [[:Category:|]]
Region: Russia and Central Asia [[:Category:|]] [[:Category:|{location3}]]
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion [[:Category:|]] [[:Category:|]]
Medium: Literature [[:Category:|]] [[:Category:|]]
Artist: Joseph Brodsky
Confronting Bodies: Soviet government
Dates of Action: 1959-1980s
Location: Russia
Description of Artwork: Brodsky wrote poems about religion, culture, architecture, nature, parting exile, love and treachery. He has been compared to W.H. Auden and the English metaphysicals.
The Incident: Brodsky's first taste of censorship came in 1959 when the publisher of a poetry collection that included his poems was arrested. Brodsky was accused of debauchery, pessimism, social parasitism and anti-Soviet activities. He was sent to prison on the parasitism charge; the Soviet court decided that since he was a poet, he didn't really have a job. He left Russia in 1972 and was welcomed by western intellectuals. Brodsky travelled the world and continued to write. In 1972-1973 a four-volume collection of his work was published. The compilers were immediately arrested but the collection circulated surrepticiously.
Results of Incident: After glasnost and perestroika Brodsky's work began to flood into the Soviet Union. Now he is one of Russia's most celebrated writers.
Source: Censorship, A World Encyclopedia, ed. D. Jones [[Category:]] [[Category:]] [[Category:]] [[Category:]] [[Category:]] [[Category:]] [[Category:]] [[Category:]]
