In his only public appearance during a special Washington, D.C., visit, celebrated Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko read aloud a selection of his works to more than 300 people Oct. 21 at 1957 E Street. A vocal critic of the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s, Mr. Yevtushenko’s poems are celebrated for their political themes and empathetic portrayal of Russian people.
At the event, Mr. Yevtushenko performed solo readings of several poems in both English and Russian, including “I Would Like,” “Sleep, My Beloved” and “I Love You More than Nature,” and recited some of his work with his son and students from GW’s Theatre and Dance Department.
In the introduction, GW Professor of Slavic Languages, Film Studies and International Affairs Peter Rollberg said the poet has “applied the power of the poetic word that few poets have, Russian or otherwise.”
“It was Yevtushenko who filled stadiums in the 1960s with poetry readings, infusing [thousands of] people,” said Dr. Rollberg. “His meteoric rise to worldwide fame was intrinsically connected to the Cold War at a time when communication between the superpowers was extremely limited. He was an honored guest in all Western countries, an ambassador of hope and mutual understanding who made it harder to demonize the people living behind the Iron Curtain.”
Described as “a Russian mixture of Walt Whitman and Bob Dylan,” Mr. Yevtushenko’s first reading in the United States took place at Harvard University in 1961. Later that year, he published his legendary poem “Babi Yar,” criticizing the Soviet silence about the Holocaust and widespread anti-Semitism in the nation. In 1966, Mr. Yevtushenko toured 27 American universities, and in 1972, he gave a sensational poetry concert at Madison Square Garden.
In 1968, Mr. Yevtushenko spoke out against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and during the perestroika years, he became known for his opposition to the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Mr. Yevtushenko has been awarded Russia’s “Defender of Freedom” medal. He has performed in 96 countries and has been translated into 72 languages. An honorary member of the American and European Academies of Arts and Sciences, he is currently a distinguished professor at the University of Tulsa and an honorary citizen of several American cities.
Mr. Yevtushenko, who stayed after the event to interact with the crowd, told the audience that as long as there are feelings of hopelessness in the world, the world will want poetry. “We need poetry, always, especially in moments when people forget what they need,” he said. “That’s why I think our profession will survive forever. I could not imagine a time when people will not need hope.”
Freshman Michael Sammartino described the event as a “very enlightening experience.” “As Americans, we take freedom of speech for granted, because we know that poetry will always be published in the United States without very extensive censorship or backlash against the author,” said Mr. Sammartino. “That being said, it was interesting to hear Yevtushenko speak about being a poet in communist Russia, where few writers would be published for fear of repercussion from the government. The event made me more appreciative of poetry as a whole, because sometimes the only voice of reason is the poet.”