Anna Akhmatova's brilliant poems and controversial, passionate nature are known all over the world. Unfortunately, many memoirs and reminiscences about one of the greatest Russian poetess suffer from bias, too personal views on her work and fate. “What a terrible life awaits this great woman after death - the memories of her contemporaries,” said Faina Ranevskaya. Before you is one of the few biographies of Akhmatova that can be fully called impartial and objective. The famous British poet Helen Feinstein, who translated poems of Russian poets of the Silver Age into English and wrote brilliant books about Pushkin and Tsvetaeva, decided to turn to the life of “fierce Anna.” While working on this book, Helen Fainstein carefully studied archival documents, biographical materials, and memoirs , letters, diaries and periodical publications in different languages, as well as interviews with Akhmatova’s friends and relatives. She created a beautiful, lively and vibrant portrait of a woman whose dignity and talent allowed Marina Tsvetaeva to call her, like a real queen, “Anna of All Rus'”...