A Deluge of Images and Feelings

Boris Pasternak was the son of an artist and a pianist, and in his youth he aspired to be a musician. Instead, he wound up writing poetry that painted stunning images while being exceptionally musical.

Fellow poet Osip Mandelstam, wrote of Pasternak:

“This burning salt of certain language, this whistling, clicking, rustling, sparkling, splash, the fullness of sound, the fullness of life, the deluge of images and feelings spring to life with unprecedented force in Pasternak’s poetry… Reading Pasternak’s poetry is like rinsing your throat, invigorating your breathing, renewing your lungs: poetry like that must be effective against tuberculosis.”