“Oleg Lekmanov’s life of the Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam, is a stark reminder of what happens in a society that descends mindlessly into authoritarianism wherein all things human in time are rendered meaningless. Lekmanov’s concise, fact-driven biography charts the heartbreaking story of Mandelstam’s hounded life in sharp detail.”
—Thomas Sanfilip, Literary Yard, October 2024

“Lekmanov’s book contains insightful observations of the poems and convincing attempts at psychological reconstruction. The author does not attempt to conceal the hero’s “idiosyncrasies” and manages to forego engaging in “objective Schadenfreude”. Mandelstam was at times funny, hysterical, naïve, but even in the most curious guise he managed to maintain high stature, without which his poetry would not have been possible. Such stature was the stuff of legends. It is also wonderfully illuminated here by amusing (though occasionally common and mean) anecdotes. This is the image of Mandelstam that Lekmanov presents, reminding us of the inherent kinship between poetry and nobleness."

- Andrei Nemzer, “Vremya Novostei,” on the original Russian edition,

". . . an invaluable text for the undergraduate student intent on studying Mandel'shtam’s life and historical context in greater detail, particularly given the inclusion of the records of Mandel'shtam’s arrest and interrogation, and Lekmanov’s skilled contextualization of the poet amongst his contemporaries and epoch."

- Max Anley, University of Durham, Slavonica, April 2011