Anatoly Kudryavitsky

Anthony Kudryavitsky (born in Moscow in 1954), better known by his pen name Anatoly Kudryavitsky, is a Russian-Irish writer.

Biography

His father originated from Poland, while his mother was the daughter of an Irishman from County Mayo who ended up in one of Stalin’s concentration camps. [Carry, R. Gulag survivor's grandson helps migrants put pen to paper. Metro Éireann, Dublin, 19 - 24 January 2007] Having lived in Russia and Germany, he now lives in Dublin.

A Samizdat Writer

Educated at Moscow Medical University, Anatoly Kudryavitsky later studied Irish history and culture. In the 1980s he worked as a researcher in immunology, a journalist, and a literary translator. He started writing poetry in 1978, but under the Communists was not permitted to publish his work openly. American poet Leonard Schwartz described him as

"a samizdat poet who had to put up with a good deal of abuse during the communist period and who has only been able to publish openly in recent years. In his 'poetics of silence' the words count as much for the silence they make possible as for what they say themselves" [Schwartz, L. Post-modern Moscow Poetry. Poetry Project Newsletter, 1998]

During the Perestroika Period

Since 1989 Anatoly Kudryavitsky has published a number of short stories and seven collections of his Russian poems, the most recent being [http://petropol.com/browse/fetch.php3?id=105095&type=book In the White Flame of Waiting] (1994), [http://petropol.com/browse/fetch.php3?id=105105&type=book The Field of Eternal Stories] (1996), Graffiti (1998), and [http://www.lgz.ru/archives/html_arch/lg152001/Literature/art9.htm Visitors’ Book] (2001). He has also published his translations from English into Russian of such authors and poets as John Galsworthy (Jocelyn), William Somerset Maugham (Up at the Villa), Stephen Leacock (Selected Stories), Arthur Conan Doyle (Selected Stories), Emily Dickinson (Selected Poems); Stephen Crane (Collected Poems); Jim Morrison (Selected Poems), all in book-form.

From 1993 till 1995 he was a member of the [http://meloimaginists.narod.ru "meloimaginists"] poetry group. In mid-1990s he edited Strelets/The Archer and Inostrannaya Literatura / Foreign Literature literary magazines, as well as Poetry of Silence (A & B Press, 1998), an anthology of new Russian poetry. Two other anthologies, Zhuzhukiny Deti (NLO Publications, 2000), an anthology of Russian short stories and prose miniatures written in the second half of the twentieth century, and the anthology entitled Imagism(Progress Publishing, 2001) were published more recently. The latter won The Independent/Ex Libris The Best Translated Book of the Year Award in 2001. Kudryavitsky is a member of the Russian Writers’ Union and Irish and International PEN. In 1998 he founded [http://www.unesco.org/poetry/appronfondissement.php?nom=1508&langue=english the Russian Poetry Society] and became its first President (1998 - 1999). Joseph Brodsky described him as "a poet who gives voice to Russian Silence" (as quoted by Maeve O'Sullivan). [O'Sullivan, M. Anatoly Kudryavitsky. The Event Guide, Dublin, 19th March - 1st April 2003]

In the West

Soon after his moving to Germany in 1999 Anatoly Kudryavitsky was elected to the Board of Directors of the [http://www.unesco.org/poetry/appronfondissement.php?nom=304&langue=english International Federation of Poetry Associations] . His five-year term ended in 2004.

Since moving to Ireland in 2002 Anatoly Kudryavitsky writes poetry predominantly in English, however he keeps writing fiction in Russian. He also works as a creative writing tutor. The book of his English poems entitled Shadow of Time was published in Ireland in 2005 (Goldsmith Press, Ireland). Irish poet Iggy McGovern mentioned Shadow of Time among the best Irish books of the year (Poetry Ireland Review Newsletter, January/Februaty 2006). [http://www.dedaluspress.com/anthologies/nabokovhotel.html A Night in the Nabokov Hotel] , the anthology of contemporary Russian poetry translated into English by Anatoly Kudryavitsky, was published in 2006 by [http://www.dedaluspress.com/ Dedalus Press] . He has also translated more than forty contemporary Irish, English and American poets into Russian, and his own work has been translated into nine languages. He won the Edgeworth Prize for Poetry in 2003, and in 2005 was shortlisted for [http://www.webspawner.com/users/verseimago2/index.html the Robert Graves Poetry Award] .

In 2007, he started Okno, a Russian-language poetry magazine.

Haiku involvement

Anatoly Kudryavitsky started writing haiku in Ireland. He won the Highly Recommended Prize at [http://www.samhainpoetry.com/Winners.htm Samhain International Haiku Competition] 2005 with this haiku:

:summer night –:blossoming in the pond,:water-lilies and stars

In 2006 Kudryavitsky founded the [http://www.irishhaiku.webs.com/ Irish Haiku Society] with Siofra O'Donovan and Martin Vaughan. He is the current chairman of the society and editor of [http://www.shamrockhaikujournal.webs.com Shamrock Haiku Journal] .

In 2007, another one of his haiku won Honourable Mention at [http://www.vancouvercherryblossomfestival.com/vcbf/honourablemention Vancouver International Cherry Blossom Festival] :

:between snowfalls::the moon through:cherry blossom petals

In the same year he was awarded [http://tara.clearlight.com/pipermail/fromthecentre/2007-October/000110.html Capoliveri Haiku 2007 Premio Internazionale di Poesia] (International Haiku Award, Italy). In 2008, he won the Suruga Baika Haiku Prize of Excellence (Japan) with the following haiku:

:sheep unmoved:in the green grass...:a slow passing of clouds [Tenth Annual Suruga Baika Literary Festival Selected Works. Suruga Daichu-ji, Japan, 2008. - page 161.]

He has also translated haiku from several European languages into English.

Bibliography

Poetry

In Russian

*"The Ship of Autumn" (UDN University Press, Moscow, 1991)
*"Sealed Up Messages" (Valentine Books, Moscow, 1992)
*"Sounds and the Stars" (Lenore Books, Moscow, 1993);
*"In the White Flame of Waiting "(Sov-VIP Press, Moscow - Oslo, 1994)
*"The Field of Eternal Stories "(Third Wave, Moscow/Jersey City, N.J., 1996)
*"Graffiti " (Third Wave, 1998)
*"Visitors’ Book " (Third Wave, 2001)

Limited edition publications

*"Between the Lines " (Third Wave, 1997)

In English

*"Shadow of Time " (Goldsmith Press, Newbridge, Ireland, 2005)
*"Morning at Mount Ring" ( [http://www.doghousebooks.ie Doghouse Books] , Tralee, Ireland, 2007) ISBN 978-0-9552003-5-9

Anthology editing

*"Poetry of Silence " (A&B Press, Moscow, 1999
*"Zhuzhukiny Deti. Russian Short Stories in the Second Half of the 20th Century" (NLO Books, Moscow, 2000).
*"Imagism, an anthology. " (Progress Publishing, Moscow, 2001) ( [http://kudryavitsky.narod.ru/imagists.html Online] )
*"A Night in the Nabokov Hotel. 20 Contemporary Poets from Russia" Edited by Anatoly Kudryavitsky. Dublin, Dedalus Press 2006) ( [http://russianpoets.blogspot.com Online] )

References

In English

*Carry, Robert. "Gulag survivor's grandson helps migrants put pen to paper". Metro Éireann, Dublin, 19 - 24 January 2007
*Schwartz, L. "Post-modern Moscow Poetry". Poetry Project Newsletter, 1998.
*O'Sullivan, M. "Anatoly Kudryavitsky". The Event Guide, Dublin, 19th March - 1st April 2003
* Wilson, Robert D. "Morning at Mount Ring by Anatoly Kudryavitsky" [http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv5n4/reviews/Kudryavitsky.html Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry. Winter 2007, vol 5 no 4]
* Prime, Patricia. "Morning at Mount Ring by Anatoly Kudryavitsky". [http://www.styluspoetryjournal.com/main/master.asp?id=796 Stylus Poetry Journal. Issue 28: January 2008]

In French

* Duclos, Michèle. "Shadow of Time d'Anatoly Kudryavitsky" [http://koudriavitski.webs.com Poésie/Première No 40 – Mars/Juin 2008]

External links

* [http://uk.geocities.com/akudryavitsky Official website]
* [http://www.kudryavitsky.narod.ru Website in Russian]
* [http://koudriavitski.webs.com Website in French]
* [http://www.stridebooks.co.uk/Stride%20mag%202008/sept%202008/Kudryavitsky%20prose%20poems.htm His prose poems in Stride Magazine, UK]
* [http://meloimaginists.narod.ru/kudryavitsky.html His Russian poems on the "Meloimaginists" site]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsbr6kkkH0Q&feature=related His poetry reading in Limerick - video]

Notes