Literary Sphere

DETAILED SUMMARY OF THE POEM "REQUIEM" BY ANNA AKHMATOVA  Image Source: WIKIPEDIA "Requiem" is one of Anna Akhmatova's most famous and powerful works, written between 1935 and 1940, though it wasn't published in full until later due to censorship in the Soviet Union. The poem is a deeply personal and collective reflection on the pain and suffering experienced during the Great Terror under Stalin's regime, when millions of people were arrested, tortured, and executed. Akhmatova herself endured the anguish of having her first husband, Lev Gumilyov, and her son, Lev, imprisoned. "Requiem" is often described as a monumental work of mourning, grief, and defiance, embodying the voices of the mothers, wives, and loved ones of the victims of Stalin's purges. The poem captures the profound emotional toll on those who endured the terror, as well as the sense of helplessness in the face of an oppressive, totalitarian system. It is composed o...