Boris Pasternak's Life and Poetic Relationships

Boris Pasternak, heralded as a master who “held undisputed sway over Russian poetry,” began his long and arduous journey to literary infamy in a very cosmopolitan Moscow family, severely drenched in high-class Russian culture. His father a prominent Russian painter, and his mother a former concert pianist, there was a considerable amount of influence that washed over him from his parent’s notable social life. Consisting of rich cultural surroundings and significant figures of the time, such as Leo Tolstoy and Rainer Maria Rilke, his parents’ social life is what initially inspired Pasternak to pursue a field in the fine arts. Initially beginning in music, he transitioned to philosophy, and finally, after suffering rejection at the hands of a lover, settled on literature, mainly poetry. Over the course of his life and his career literature and poetry, his sway and impact on Russia grew, which not only spiked his popularity, but also generated some negative attention from the Soviet government. This later had a prodigious effect on him, His life was at times extremely contained, but this negative relationship he held with the government also sprouted some of the best poetry he had ever written, and it brought much attention to himself as a writer. Becoming one of the most eminent poets to live and die by the motherland, was both a blessing and a curse. Pasternak’s significance to Russian literature led him to influence a multitude of writers and artists of his

generation and future generations alike.

Of all those under Boris Pasternak’s tutelage and influence, no one must have been more affected by him than his mentoring of close friend and protégée, Andrey Voznesensky. In 1947, Pasternak received a letter and a book of poems by...

... middle of paper ...

...g together those who were suppressed by the domineering Soviet government, and affecting each of the poets lives and writings considerably.

Boris Pasternak, Russian poet and literary marvel, affected the lives and careers of many. From the largest names in literature of the time, to the artists of today, he held a tremendous impact not only on the nature of Russian writing, but on many others who respect the messages of life about his corrupt government and heartbreak through his poetry. He is subtly mentioned in many areas, music, literature and even science, his veneration impelling Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina, a Soviet astronomer, to name a planet after him. His poetry, significant enough to survive through the years, has affected many poets such as Voznesensky, Rilke, and Tsvetaeva, and many more will come. His candle is still burning, and it always will.