Olga Stein’s poetry asserts that love and desire are fundamental, universal experiences that transcend time and cultural boundaries, serving as powerful forces for personal and collective resilience. To this poet, human creativity and artistic expression are vital for coping with life’s complexities and enduring beyond oppression and tyranny. The collection critiques the misuse of power and celebrates the beauty and transformative power of art, suggesting that both truth and artistic integrity are essential for resisting injustice. By intertwining historical and contemporary contexts, the poems emphasize the continuity and interconnectedness of human experiences, advocating for a nuanced understanding of the human condition.
This isn’t self-help. It’s not a parody either. It’s something stranger and smarter: a satirical, uncategorizable book about belief, leadership, algorithmic power, and the performance of divinity in modern life.
A new book of poems by Nina Kossman. “When the mythological and personal meet, something transforms for this reader…” -Ilya Kaminsky
From the myths of the ancient Near East to the secluded palaces of forgotten empires, Harems: Origins and Eunuchs uncovers how the idea of the harem first emerged — not only as a symbol of power and beauty, but also as a reflection of human desire, faith, and control. With the precision of a historian and the sensitivity of a storyteller, Sergii Mazurkevych traces the hidden world of eunuchs, devotion, and intrigue that shaped entire civilizations. A thoughtful and visually rich journey into one of history’s most secret institutions.
This excellent anthology, compiled and edited by Julia Nemirovskaya, showcases poems by Russian (and Russian-speaking) poets who express their absolute rejection of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The documentary novel “The Tenth Circle” tells the story of the life, struggle, and destruction of the Minsk ghetto, one of the largest in the Soviet Union and Europe during World War II. (Russian edition)