This is the first book-length study of the outstanding generation of Leningrad poets whose
careers began during the Khrushchev Thaw. The text brings together memoirs interviews and
archival research to construct an account of the world of poetry in Leningrad in which many
now-famous figures began writing. The author describes the institutions official events
unofficial groups and informal activities that were attended by many young poets including
the pre-eminent poet of this generation Iosif Brodsky. Alongside a detailed study of Brodsky¿s
work from the early 1970s are close readings of two other major poets from this generation
whose work has often been overlooked Viktor Sosnora and Dmitry Bobyshev.
