A specialist in Russian poetry of the 20th century, Lekmanov (Moscow State U.) discusses the life and work of Russian poet Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938), emphasizing his conflicting desires to be part of society and to stand apart from it. He also sorts through the condemnation of his character and behavior by many contemporaries, and vehement denial of the accusations by others. He begins before the first "Stone" 1891-1913, and progresses through "Tristia" in 1922, "Poems" in 1928, before the arrest 1928-34, and the final years. Translated from Russian by Tatiana Retivov. Only names are indexed. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)