The sensational rise of Yevgeny Yevtushenko's fame in the West some five years ago and its decline, especially in the United States, in the last two years or so have been unrelated to the literary merit of his poetry. Yevtushenko's stance—that of a rebel and envoy, performing artist and civil libertarian—has perplexed readers on both sides of the border….

Two kinds of themes can be distinguished in Yevtushenko's poetry: the civic and the intensely personal. These two strands were refreshingly interlaced in the early poetry of the midfifties ("Weddings," for instance).

At about the time of his first flamboyant trips abroad, his poetry bifurcated. Some civic pieces became bombastic and his personal lyrics took on a somewhat whining tone. It is hard to deny that Yevtushenko lacks self-discipline. He writes too much and reveals himself too frantically.

Despite his hurried and at times heavy manner, there...