Арсений Тарковский

The name Arseny Tarkovsky might not be familiar to you, but it’s worth getting to know him. Arseny Tarkovsky was a very important Russian poet, translator and a man of many talents. Here, under a simple tombstone, rests a man who was in a way, the foundation of the famous Tarkovsky family name. He was born in 1907 in Elisavetgrad, known today as Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine. Before moving to Moscow, he had a brush with death when he and his friends were arrested, accused of being Narodniks, or members of a Russian populist movement. His father had also been labelled a Narodnik and suffered a similar fate. Arseny was lucky enough to escape. In Moscow, he sought out a university to deepen his knowledge of literature. It was during this period that he helped shape a young man’s love for poetry – a young man who went on to become a renowned film director. This young man was Arseny’s own son, Andrei. Arseny Tarkovsky was no stranger to adversity. During World War II, he worked as a war correspondent, but his experiences came at a high price, leaving him wounded and enduring six amputations. Even though he had already lost his leg, Arseny still managed to translate poetry from Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian and Arabic. His prolific career included translating the works of many renowned poets and authors, like Abu l-Ala-Al-Ma arri, Nizami and Adam Mickiewicz. His first collection of poems, “ Before snow”, was published in 1962. Arseny Tarkovsky never completely recovered from his war injuries and died in 1989. However, his legacy lives on through his poetry and translations, but also through his renowned son, Andrei. So often, the greatest legacies are built on the foundations of those who come before.