The Ratcatcher: A Lyrical Satire

Marina T︠S︡vetaeva

Northwestern University Press, 2000 - Poetry - 123 pages

The Ratcatcher retells the legend of the German town of Hamlin, which in the year 1284 was so badly overrun by rats that the Burgomaster promised a large sum of money (and his daughter's hand in marriage) to anyone who could remove them. A colorfully dressed wandering piper lured all the rats away and drowned them in a nearby river. When the reward was refused him, he returned to the town and lured away all the children (and the Burgomaster's adult daughter), disappearing with them into the side of a mountain.

Contents

• Acknowledgements: 8
• Note on the Translation: 29
• The Dreams: 42
• The Abduction: 60
• In the Town Hall: 80
• The Childrens Paradise: 99
• Notes: 113

About the author

Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva, 1892-1941 Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was born on October 8, 1892 in Moscow. Her first collection appeared in 1910, and she ranks among the major twentieth-century Russian poets. Her numerous lyrics and long poems are distinguished by great vigor and passion and an astonishing technical mastery. Her language and rhythms are highly innovative. In subject, her poetry varies greatly, often diary-like but also intensely concerned with the fate of her generation, of Russia, and of Europe. Tsvetaeva did not shy away from controversial topics, often opposing received dogma, be it Soviet or Russian emigre. She frequently subsumed herself in other characters, merging dramatic and lyrical elements. Particularly striking are her long poems Poem of the Mountain, Poem of the End, and Ratcatcher and her later collections Craft (1923) and After Russia (1928). After emigrating from the Soviet Union, Tsvetaeva also seriously turned to prose.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Ratcatcher: A Lyrical Satire; Angel classics; European Poetry Classics
• Author: Marina T︠S︡vetaeva
• Translated by: Angela Livingstone
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press, 2000
• ISBN: 0810118165, 9780810118164
• Length: 123 pages
• Subjects: Poetry / European / General