Vega's Fugitive

An incandescent new collected translation of virtuosic Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva

Marina Tsvetaeva needs no introduction—a poetic genius, she is one of the most gifted and original poets in the Russian literary canon.  All the verse genres Tsvetaeva employed, including lyric poems, poetic cycles, and long narrative poems, are represented here, in Vega’s Fugitive, translated by award-winning translator and Tsvetaeva scholar Alyssa Dinega Gillespie. Tsvetaeva’s poems, some never-before translated, appear in potent English versions that are both highly faithful to the originals and lyrical in their own right. As a result, Tsvetaeva’s verse—with its driving rhythms, striking sound plays, and searing insights—is reborn in a new language and new constellations of meaning. These poems dive fearlessly into themes of place, time, and distance; the female body; the poet’s fate; desire and longing; grief, loss, and immortality. Vega’s Fugitive makes Tsvetaeva’s masterful work not just accessible, but unforgettable for English-language readers around the world.

Praise for Vega's Fugitive:

“A foremost poet of the twentieth century, Marina Tsvetaeva challenges her readers with tricky syntax and powerful rhythms. Alyssa Gillespie presents the poet’s context and central traits in a useful introduction, and her translations offer not merely profound understanding of each word: she catches the emotional temperature and passionate tempo that make this poet’s voice unique, sweeping the reader into each poem.” —Sibelan Forrester, Swarthmore College

“Gillespie’s bold work combines scholarly insight with artistic vitality. Full of exhilarating and inventive sonic play, this volume begs to be read aloud and savored.” —Sarah Vitali, translator of Vladislav Khodasevich’s Necropolis