Elena Shvarts

Elena Shvarts (1948–2010) was one of the most compelling poets to bridge the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. Writing in Russian as a part of the Leningrad literary underground in the 1970s and ’80s, Shvarts’s early poetry was published in samizdat (self-published/unofficial) journals and abroad. She eventually published over fifteen collections of poetry and prose and received open recognitions, including the Triumph Prize (2003) and the Gogol Prize for Prose (2004). (updated 10/2022)