Famous Russian poet of the Acmeist school.

Akhmatova's brief lyrics, simply and musically written in the tradition of Pushkin, attained great popularity. Her themes were personal, emotional, and often ironic.

Among her most popular volumes are Chiotki (The Rosary, 1914) and Iva (The Willow Tree, 1940).

She was married to the Acmeist poet Lev Gumilev until 1918.

Akhmatova remained silent for two decades. She began publishing again at the outbreak of World War II, after which her writings regained popularity.

A courageous critic of Stalinism with a large underground following, she was harshly denounced by the Soviet regime in 1946 and 1957 for "bourgeois decadence."