Vintage 1957 Soviet Book: Alexander Blok "My City" (Petersburg Poems) | Tsar to Soviet Books

Classic 1957 Soviet Edition: Alexander Blok’s "My City" (Lenizdat)

For collectors of Russian Silver Age poetry, scholars of modernist literature, and admirers of Petersburg cultural history, this 1957 original Soviet hardcover volume is a classic anthology. Published in Leningrad by Lenizdat (Лениздат) to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad, My City... Poems about Petersburg–Petrograd (Город мой... Стихи о Петербурге–Петрограде) compiles the city verse of Alexander Alexandrovich Blok.

Bound in illustrated cloth-backed boards depicting a blustery winter night by a classical Petersburg canal bridge and gas lantern, this 224+ page edition features his urban poetry cycle alongside the complete text of The Twelve («Двенадцать»).

Silver Age Symbolism, Urban Tragedy & The Epic "The Twelve" This compilation traces the evolution of Blok's Petersburg:

• The Urban Mysticism of Petersburg: Classical lyrics capturing the melancholy, stone facades, and fog of the capital, including "Night, street, streetlamp, drugstore" («Ночь, улица, фонарь, аптека...»), "At the Restaurant" («В ресторане»), "Dances of Death" («Пляски смерти»), and "From the Newspapers" («Из газет»).

• The Complete Text of "The Twelve" («Двенадцать»): Unabridged 12-part revolutionary poem written in January 1918, portraying twelve Red Guard soldiers advancing through a blizzard in Petrograd.

• Final Elegies & Literary Commentary: Concludes with his 1921 address "To the Pushkin House" («Пушкинскому Дому») and an analytical introduction examining Blok's relationship to the city's architectural and social fabric.

• Leningrad Jubilee Imprint: Bears the ornamental "250" graphic mark on the preliminary half-title celebrating the founding of St. Petersburg / Leningrad (1703–1953/1957).

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Город мой... Стихи о Петербурге–Петрограде (My City... Poems about Petersburg–Petrograd)

• Author: Alexander Blok (Александр Блок)

• Introductory Article: "Blok's City" («Город Блока»)

• Publisher: "Lenizdat" Publishing House (Ленинград)

• Publication Date: 1957 (Leningrad, USSR)

• Language: Russian

• Binding: Original publisher's cloth-backed illustrated hardcover

• Page Count: 224+ pages with textual notes

• Classification: Russian Silver Age Poetry / Symbolism / St. Petersburg in Literature

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: Original cloth-backed graphic boards are clean, flat, and rigid with sharp cover typography, clear cover drawing, and light, natural shelf wear along board perimeters.

• Binding Integrity: Exceptionally firm, square, and tight text block with intact hinges and solid cloth spine.

• Page Quality: Interior pages and commentary sections are clean and unmarked, exhibiting uniform light cream age-toning typical of 1950s Soviet paper stocks. Free from marginal notation, underlining, library stamps, or owner signatures.