The Pushkin Club is inviting Alexander Frolov and Larisa Melikhova, both originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, to present the collection of anti-war poetry of Russian poets Bitter Copper (volumes 1 and 2).
Shortly after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022 Alexander Frolov, believing that poets have no right to remain silent and should express their attitude towards this barbaric aggression, organized the project "Poet’s Word is a Poet’s Business". As part of the project he prepared for publication a collection of anti-war poems by Russian poets called Bitter Copper.
67 poets from 10 countries (including Ukraine) were featured in the first volume. The book was officially published by Petropolis publishing house in St. Petersburg in May 2022 at the expense of the authors.
This was the first anti-war poetry collection published in Russia. To ensure the safety of the publishers and those authors who remained in Russia, the book was not widely advertised and did not go on sale. It has been distributed among the authors and their friends, as well as, upon request, a number of national university libraries in Europe and the USA.
In April 2023, the same publishing house published a second volume — Bitter Copper 2. 80 poets from 13 countries participated in it, including many who’d already participated in the first volume.
Presentations of both volumes took place at St. Petersburg Pen Club and Zverev Center in Moscow, in the city of Istra (Moscow Region), as well as in Latvia, Jerusalem and Haifa (Israel).
The collection design includes drawings and etchings by Albrecht Dürer, Gennady Karabinsky (Germany), Alexander Kolokoltsev (Russia), Valery Mishin (Russia).
about the speakers
Alexander Frolov (Russia, Israel): poet, novelist, and playwright. Born in Leningrad in a family of writers and journalists. By education — civil engineer-hydraulic engineer, earned his living by 17 different professions, specialties and skills. The author of nine books of poetry, a collection of short stories and several dramatizations. Poems and stories were published in many magazines and almanacs both in Russia and abroad. Poems were translated into French, English, Finnish, Chinese, Arabic, Kyrgyz. Winner of several literary awards. Member of the World Congress of Poets and numerous poetry festivals in Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Finland, Egypt. Member of St. Petersburg Writers’ Union and St. Petersburg Pen Club.
Initiator, compiler, editor, designer and one of the authors of the collections "Bitter Copper" and "Bitter Copper - 2".
Oleg Dozmorov (Great Brittain): poet, critic. Born in Sverdlovsk, lived in Moscow, now lives in London. Graduated from the Faculty of Philology and postgraduate studies of the Ural State University and the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. Worked as a loader, watchman, librarian, teacher, journalist, editor. In 1999-2000, a member of the Editorial Board of the Ural magazine. Poems and essays were published in numerous magazines and almanacs in Russia and abroad. The author of five books of poems and the memoir "Prize "Mramor", dedicated to Boris Ryzhyi and other friends - Yekaterinburg poets. The poems have been translated into English, Dutch, Italian and Ukrainian. Winner of several literary awards.
One of the authors of the collection "Bitter Copper - 2".
Elena Dunaevskaya: poet, translator. Originally from Leningrad, a family of doctors. Graduated from Leningrad State University, Mathematics Faculty. Author of two books of poetry. The first publications of poems appeared in periodicals in 1966-1967. After a long break — from the end of the 80s — poems were published in numerous magazines and almanacs in Russia and abroad. In the mid 70s became interested in literary translation, attended the seminar of E. Linetskaya, translated poems of W. B. Yeats, J. Keats, R. Kipling, E. Spencer, etc. More than 1.5 thousand translated poetic lines have been published. From the end of the 80s actively translated English classical prose for various publishing houses in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Ph.D. in Philology: English literary fairy tale of the Golden Age. Was among the winners of the OSI (Soros Foundation) competition for the translation of modern fiction with William Boyd's novel Brazzaville Beach. In 2015, became Anna Akhmatova Prize Winner. Member of St. Petersburg Writers' Union.
One of the authors of the collections "Bitter Copper" and "Bitter Copper - 2".
Milena Makarova (Latvia): poet, translator, and publicist. Born and lives in Riga. Author of eight books: two collections of poetry and six books of translations of Latvian poetry and prose. Member of the Writers' Union of Latvia, multiple scholarship holder of the Latvian Cultural Capital Foundation. Winner of several poetry competitions. Widely published in Latvia and abroad. Poems translated into Latvian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, English. Author's recitals and presentations of books were held in Riga, Berlin, Lvov, Tartu, Kaliningrad, Moscow. One of the moderators of the international poetry festival "Baltic stanza" (Latvia)
One of the authors of the collections "Bitter Copper" and "Bitter Copper - 2".
Larisa Melikhova (Russia, Israel). Born in St. Petersburg, graduated from St. Petersburg University, PhD in math. Currently a member of Dissernet -- a volunteer community network whose aim is to clear Russian science from cheaters and malpractices, publicist in the field of pseudoscience disclosure and site editor in the project Last address, a civic initiative to commemorate the victims of repressions in the Soviet Union.
In "Bitter copper-2" comes out as a poet-parodist, with parodies of so-called Z-poets – poets who passionately support the aggressive war in Ukraine.