“I don't suppose that I know more about life than anyone of my age, but it seems to me that, in the capacity of an interlocutor, a book is more reliable than a friend or a beloved.”

Russian poet and essayist of the 20th century, Brodsky was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1972 and later awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987. He is known for his sharp, lyrical essays on art, politics, and the human condition, blending intellectual rigor with poetic precision. His work often explores themes of exile, freedom, and the search for meaning in an indifferent world.