[In Vecher, Akhmatova's first book of poems, she] speaks about simple earthly happiness and about simple intimate and personal sorrow. Love, love's parting, unrequited love, love's betrayal, clear and serene confidence in the lover, feelings of grief, of loneliness, of despair—all the things that everyone Anna Akhmatova 1888–1966 Gabriel D. Hackett, NYmight feel and understand, though perhaps less deeply and personally than the poet—such are Akhmatova's themes, told with a remarkable frugality…. (p. 57)

[In Akhmatova's second book of poetry, Chyotki,] her themes remained the same…. Akhmatova was consistent in her femininity. (pp. 60-1)

[In Akhmatova's poetry there are] unexpected but convincing, illogical but fine psychological transitions from words of emotion to words of description, from the soul to nature, from feeling to fact. She assembles artistically the particulars of a given moment which are often unnoticeable to others; she notices everything anew so that her internal...