"In Russian Poet/Soviet Jew: The Legacy of Eduard Bagritskii, Maxim D. Shrayer explores the problem of Jewish identity in the early Soviet period by examining the short but brilliant career of Eduard Bagritskii (1895-1934), a major Russian-Jewish poet. Overlooked in the West, Bagritskii's life and art typify the tortured destiny of Russia's Jews. Shrayer paints a portrait of his subject, providing photographs of Bagritskii's life and the first English translations of his major works.".

"Russian Poet/Soviet Jew also serves as an introduction to the generation of Jews of the Pale who became major Russian artists. Shrayer questions what it means to be both Russian and Jewish, and through an interview with a leading Russian ultra-nationalist, he investigates why Bagritskii and his legacy became the target of vicious anti-Semitic attacks.

Russian Poet/Soviet Jew highlights a central problem in Jewish history and culture, and it elevates a gifted literary figure of Jewish and Russian history to his rightful place alongside his famous peers Babel, Erenburg, and Grossman."--BOOK JACKET.