Readers will be deeply grateful to the

late Peter Oram for giving new life to the

work of a major Russian poet who has

never been fully recognized in the English-speaking

world - even if his haunting words

have been heard in Russian by the millions

who have seen his son’s film Mirror.

Arseny Tarkovsky lived through the

Soviet period from beginning to end,

preserving his inner independence and

leaving a precious legacy of memorable

lyrics that achieve a dream-like potency

of suggestion. Oram’s inventive and

beautifully shaped translations combine

in an exemplary way poetic freedom and

a careful attention to the form and the

sentiment of the originals.

Peter France

Professor Emeritus,

University of Edinburgh