“Literature is a far more ancient and viable thing than any social formation or state. And just as the state interferes in literature, literature has the right to interfere in the affairs of state.”

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.