Annensky: Twenty Five Poems

Innokenty Fyodorovich Annensky (1855–1909), Russian poet, critic, scholar, and translator, was a member of the first wave of Russian Symbolism. He was born on September 1, 1855, in Omsk and later relocated to Saint Petersburg. Raised by his older brother, Nikolai Annensky, a prominent Narodnik and political activist, Innokenty graduated from St. Petersburg University in 1879, specializing in Historical-comparative linguistics.

Annensky worked as a teacher at the Gymnasium in Tsarskoe Selo, where he focused on classical languages and ancient literature studies. He served as the school’s Director from 1886 until his death in 1909. Nikolai Gumilev, a prominent Russian poet, graduated from this school and referred to Annensky as “the last of Tsarskoe Selo’s swans.”

While Annensky’s poetry was not widely recognized during his lifetime, he gained posthumous recognition. He translated Euripides and French Symbolists, with his translation of Euripides’ complete works being particularly noteworthy, while, in the early 1900s, he wrote his own tragedies inspired by those of the ancient Greeks.

As a literary critic, Annensky published critical prose on Russian and European novelists, poets, and playwrights. He also contributed theoretical essays on poetry to Sergei Makovsky’s journal Apollon.

Annensky began writing poetry in the 1870s but, following his brother Nikolai’s advice, chose not to publish until he had turned 35. His first collection, “Quiet Songs,” was published in 1904 under the pseudonym Nik. T.-o (that is, Никто, or “No one” in Russian) and received modest praise. His best-known collection, “The Cypress Chest,” was published in 1910. Various unpublished poems were edited and released posthumously by his son, Valentin Krivich.

On December 13, 1909, Annensky died from a heart attack at the Tsarskoe Selo railway station in Saint Petersburg while en route to a meeting to discuss an unpublished essay about Euripides.

Annensky’s poetry reflects Symbolist themes, often exploring the concept of death, and its relationship with life and time. He is considered one of the “most pessimistic of the Russian Symbolists.” His legacy extends to his contributions to Russian Symbolism and his influence on later Russian poets, including Mandelstam, Akhmatova, Pasternak, and Mayakovsky.

Innokenty Annensky is commemorated by the asteroid 3724 Annenskij, named in his honour, and a memorial stone in Omsk, Russia, established in 2008.

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