A Dove Under My Hand Sapphic Writings by Marina Tsvetaeva

Infused with sapphic desire, A Dove Under My Hand: Sapphic Writings by Marina Tsvetaeva presents three works: Story of Sonechka, “ Girlfriend Poems,” and “ Letter to an Amazon,” all newly translated by Sonja Franeta. Story of Sonechka, a novella, is composed of fragments, conversations, and verse exploring Tsvetaeva’ s romance with Russian actress, Sonya Holliday; it was one of the last works that Tsvetaeva completed before her death. The “ Girlfriend Poems” are Tsvetaeva’ s love lyrics to Russian poet Sofia Parnok. Seven additional poems extend this lyrical cycle. Contemplating queer love and the tension between romantic passion and maternal instinct, “ Letter to an Amazon” is Tsvetaeva’ s response to Natalie Barney’ s Pensé es d'une Amazone. Expertly translated, all these writings explore lesbian love in rich and complex ways, brimming with emotional intensity and literary intelligence. These works stand among the earliest to shine a light on queer love in Russia, at a time when both were taboo and rare. An afterword by Olgerta Kharitonova, publisher of the former Russian zine Ostrov, offers a vivid, multifaceted portrait of Tsvetaeva’ s meaning to queer women in Russia and its diaspora. A Dove Under My Hand highlights Tsvetaeva’ s lesbian writings and cements her enduring legacy as a writer of radical emotional honesty and queer literary defiance.

Sonja Franeta (b. 1952) is a translator, writer, educator, and activist with a specific interest in Russian and queer culture and literature. Publications include Pink Flamingos: 10 Siberian Interviews (2004) and My Pink Road to Russia (2015). She continues to write and translate, living between Florida and northern Spain. Marina Tsvetaeva (1892 - 1941) was a Russian poet and writer known for her emotional, innovative verse and her exploration of love, exile, and personal tragedy. Living through the Russian Revolution, emigration, and Stalinist repression, her life and work reflect the turmoil of early 20th-century Russia. Her works include, Mileposts (1921), After Russia (1928), and the long poems: Poem of the End (1923), Poem of the Mountain (1926), and the dramatic narrative The Ratcatcher (1925).