Alexander Makarov-Krotkov. Translations by Nina Kossman

Also in Translations:

krotkov-feat
Alexander Makarov-Krotkov. Translations by Nina Kossman

опишите
что вы видите

простите
но мы вынуждены
вас задержать

2021

*

describe
what you see

sorry
but we are forced
to detain you

* * *

открой для себя
мир
членистоногих

войди к ним
протяни
руку дружбы

помни
это твой мир
не покидай его

время ещё
не пришло

2021

*

discover for yourself
the world
of arthropods

enter it
offer it your
hand in friendship

remember
this is your world
don’t leave it

it’s not time
yet

* * *

если честно
мне неинтересно
а так-то конечно
ну очень хорошие стихи

2001

*

to be honest
I am not very interested
but otherwise of course
well, these are very good poems

* * *

от самиздата
до фэйсбука

прости Господи

2016

*

from samizdat
to facebook

help us Lord

Translated from Russian by Nina Kossman

About the Author:

krotkov-photo
Alexander Makarov-Krotkov
Moscow, Russia

Alexander Makarov-Krotkov was born in 1959. His poetry began to appear in samizdat in the mid-80s. In 1989 he was published in famous émigré Paris-based journals “Kontinent” and “Mulet”.  After 1989, his work began to appear in literary magazines in his homeland. He was published in a wide spectrum of literary journals and anthologies both in Russia and abroad, in Russian as well as in translations.  Alexander Makarov-Krotkov is the author of seven books of poems, laureate of several literary prizes, and participant in many national and international festivals, he lives in Moscow.

About the Translator:

Nina-old-profile-from-Zoom
Nina Kossman
New York, USA

Nina Kossman’s eleven books include three books of poetry in English, two books of poetry in Russian, two collections of short stories, a memoir, a novel, an anthology she edited for Oxford University Press, and two volumes of translations of Marina Tsvetaeva’s poetry. Her English-language work has appeared in over ninety magazines and anthologies and has been translated into many languages, including French, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Persian, Chinese, and Japanese. Her plays have been produced in several countries. Her work in her first language, Russian, was published in Russian-language periodicals in and outside of Russia. She is a recipient of an NEA fellowship, UNESCO/PEN Short Story award, grants from the Onassis Foundation, the Foundation for Hellenic Culture, etc.

Alexander Makarov-Krotkov Александр Макаров-Кротков
Bookshelf
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by Dmitri Manin, Anna Krushelnitskaya

A hybrid scholarly and literary volume of popular Russian-language Soviet children’s texts alongside essays that outline the significance and meanings behind these popular texts.

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by Nina Kossman

A collection of nonsense poetry for readers who love Edward Lear, Hilaire Belloc, and all things delightfully peculiar.

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by Naza Semoniff

A haunting dystopia some readers have called “the new 1984.” In a society where memory is rewritten and resistance is pre-approved, freedom isn’t restricted; it’s redefined. As systems evolve beyond human control and choice becomes a simulation, true defiance means refusing the script, even when the system already knows you will.

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by Nina Kossman

 

A new book of poems by Nina Kossman. “When the mythological and personal meet, something transforms for this reader…” -Ilya Kaminsky

Videos
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EastWest Literary Forum Bilingual Poetry & Prose Reading. July 13, 2025.
Length: 2 hrs. 08 min