The mid-twentieth century saw a generation of Soviet writers working under conditions that made literary expression a politically charged act. Joseph Brodsky was born in Saint Petersburg on May 24, 1940, and went on to become one of the defining poetic voices to emerge from that era, writing in both Russian and English across a career that spanned several decades until his death in Brooklyn on January 28, 1996.

Brodsky worked as a poet, essayist, playwright, dramaturge, translator, librettist, lecturer, and university teacher — a range that gave his output an unusual breadth. He was educated at Annenschule and later at Clare Hall. His notable work Gorbunov and Gorchakov stands as a key example of his creative ambition in long-form verse. He also served as United States Poet Laureate, a role that placed him in direct contact with American literary and civic life.

The honors that came to Brodsky over the course of his career reflected the scope of what he'd accomplished. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship, as well as the Golden Wreath and an honorary doctorate. The National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism recognized his work as an essayist. The most prominent acknowledgment came with the Nobel Prize in Literature, the award that confirmed his standing as a significant figure in world letters.