Brodsky

Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996) was a Russian-American poet and essayist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987, recognized for his all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought and poetic intensity.

Brodsky was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Soviet Union. He was primarily self-educated, having left school at the age of fifteen. His early poems circulated in samizdat (underground publication) due to their perceived anti-Soviet themes.

In 1964, Brodsky was arrested and tried for "social parasitism" for his failure to officially hold a job. He was sentenced to five years of forced labor, although this was later commuted, and he was released after 18 months.

In 1972, Brodsky was expelled from the Soviet Union and emigrated to the United States. He became a naturalized citizen and held academic positions at universities including the University of Michigan, Mount Holyoke College, and Boston University. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1991 to 1992.

Brodsky wrote extensively on poetry, exile, and the nature of time and memory. His notable works include the poetry collections A Part of Speech, To Urania, and So Forth, as well as the essay collections Less Than One and On Grief and Reason. He wrote in both Russian and English.