Sophia Parnok: The Life and Work of Russia’s Sappho

Author of five volumes of poetry, Parnok was the only openly lesbian writer during the Silver Age of Russian letters. Despite her contribution to modern Russian lyricism, Parnok’s life and work have up to now essentially been forgotten. Diana Burgin’s extensively researched life of Parnok is deliberately woven around the poet’s writings, which appear here in English translation. The poems and biographical material should make Sophia Parnok useful for students of Russian literature, lesbian history and women’s studies.