Robert Rozhdestvenskii

Born June 20, 1932, in the village of Kosikha, Altai Krai. Soviet Russian poet.

Son of a soldier, Rozhdestvenskii was brought up in children’s homes. He graduated from the M. Gorky Institute of Literature in 1956 but had begun publishing in 1950. His first poetry collection, Flags of Spring (1955), was followed by the collections The Drifting Boulevard (1959), To My Coeval (1962), Radius of Action (1965), Son of Faith (1966), Dedication (1970), and The Line (1973). The poems and narrative poems My Love (1955), Letter to the Thirtieth Century (1963), and Dedication (1969) are marked by a civic spirit, wide-ranging imagery, and contrasting linguistic effects, combined with a well-reasoned choice of themes, genres, and poetic devices. In these works, Rozhdestvenskii affirms communist morality and writes about the struggle for peace and about the conquest of outer space.

Following Mayakovsky’s traditions, Rozhdestvenskii makes extensive use of conversational verse rhythms, oratorical devices, and assonance. He often writes ballads and solemn songs. D. B. Kabalevskii set Rozhdestvenskii’s narrative poem Requiem (1961) to music, and Rozhdestvenskii himself wrote the words for a number of songs. His impressions of foreign countries were the source of the book of travel sketches And There Is No End to the Earth (1971).

Rozhdestvenskii also translates works by poets of the Soviet republics and writes articles on poetry. His poems have been translated into many foreign languages. He has been awarded two orders and a medal.