Thomas Epstein

Arkadiĭ Dragomoshchenko

Evgeny Pavlov

Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Russias leading founder of Language poetry, in his new collection of essays fuses seemingly disparate elements of poetry, philosophy, journalism, and prose in an attempt to capture the workings of memory. At stake is not what he writes about--whether memory, Gertrude Stein, immortality, or a walk on Nevsky Prospect--but how he writes it. Formally, Dragomoshchenko never tires of digression, creating playful games of patience and anticipation for his reader. In so doing, he pushes story and closure into the background--arriving, finally, but not to a destination. Ultimately, Dragomoshchenko "carefully seeks out the dust of traces from the period of oblivion," which evidently lead to the oblivion of minds. "Full of vitality as well as profundity, and resonating with something I can only term friendship, these meditations / memoirs belong to the great tradition of metaphysical prose, alongside the works of Nietzsche, Shklovsky, Kierkegaard, and Toufic." -Lyn Hejinian "Dragomoshchenko, one of a new generation of younger Russian writers, is an original, though his writing shows the influence of the Russian poets of the early 20th century, of more contemporary Western writers, and of philosophers in particular. His imagery can be breathtaking." -Publishers Weekly "Dragomoshchenko is a whirlwind of words, tender expressions, fierce gestures, piercing glances." -Matvei Yankelevich "Arkadii Dragomoshchenko is an eloquent essayist and poet." -Toronto Slavic Quarterly

Evgeny Pavlov

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