Nikolay Gumilyov

Nikolay Stepanovich Gumilyov is an outstanding poet of the Silver Age, founder of the Acmeist movement. He was a many-sided person in his life (poet, traveler, researcher-ethnographer, hunter, military officer) and in his work (he wrote poems, stories, plays, translations of Western authors and ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh epic, critical articles and literary manifestos).

The anniversary book exhibition includes nearly 100 editions: collected works, drama, prosaic and lyrics collections, literature about poet’s life and work.

Gumilyov’s Letters about the Russian Poetry were being published in the magazine Apollon since 1909. Collection of articles as a separate edition was published only after his death in the publishing house Мысль in 1923. Nevertheless, the author knew the idea of his literary friends and was thinking how to systematize the material in the book. This collection is included in the exposition.

N. Gumilyov edited the poetic series in the publishing house Всемирная литература, headed by M. Gorky, in 1918. The exhibition includes the book Ballads about Robin Hood (Saint Petersburg, 1919) edited by Gumilyov.

Miniature books and booklings of lyrics by N. Gumilyov, illustrated with reproductions of the Russian art works are presented as well.

Literature, dedicated to life and work of the poet, is of a particular interest, e.g. Gumilyov’s Image in the Soviet and Emigrant Poetry (Moscow, 2004), Nikolay Gumilyov (Moscow, 2013) by Y. Zobnin, The World of Nikolay Gumilyov, Poet, Traveler, Soldier (Moscow, 2008) by A. Davidson, etc.

The book Nikolay Gumilyov: Life of the Executed Poet (Moscow, 2007) by V. Polushin from the series Life of outstanding people is the first attempt to collect all materials in one description of poet’s life, close to chronicles.

The book The Poet at War. Nikolay Gumilyov. 1914–1918 (Moscow, 2014) by E. Stepanov is a documentary chronicle about 4 years spent at the front during the First World War. A significant part of archives has been published for the first time. The edition is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First World War beginning.

The edition Architect. The Life of Nikolay Gumilyov (Moscow, 2015) by V. Shubinski is a thorough documental biography of the Russian poet. The author analyzes manifold memoirs and recalls of Gumilyov’s contemporaries (including not published), letters and diaries. The book contains more than 200 archive photos, many of them have been published for the first time.

The exhibition is targeted at readers interested in the life and work of the famous Russian writer.