Anna Akhmatova (real name Anna Andreevna Gorenko) wrote her first poem at the age of eleven. First time she appeared in press in 1907, her first book of poetry Evening (Vecher) published in 1912. She was married to poet Nikolai Gumilyov.

Anna Akhmatova belonged to the group of acmeist poets, yet her poetry, dramatic and laconic, sharing deep psychological insight and alien to self-sufficing aestheticism, actually did not fit into basic attitudes of acmeism.

Anna Akhmatova’s creative activity lasted for almost six decades. During this span her life went through certain evolution, yet keeping up quite steady aesthetic principles that were shaped in the very first decade of her creative path.

However, her late works undoubtedly reveal her urge to step beyond the limits of the themes and ideas found in her early lyric poetry. This tendency expressed itself most vividly in the poetic cycle Veter voiny (The Wind of War) (1941-1945), and Poema bez geroya (Poem Without a Hero) (1940-1962).