Pseudonym of Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.
She was a Russian writer, born in Boshoy Fontan, near Odessa, Ukraine. She was the daughter of a naval engineer. At an early age, she became interested in poetry, though it wasn't considered "fashionable" at the time. She used her poetry to give voice to the Russian people, to tell of their struggles and yearnings.
She took the pen-name Akhmatova from her maternal great-grandmother upon her father's urging. He didn't want Anna to shame the family name.
She married poet Nikolai Gumilev in 1910. She published her first wildly popular book, "Evening," in 1912. Also, in 1912, her son Lev was born. Two years later, her second book, "Rosary," was received with the same success as her first. A parlor game based on the book was even invented. She went on to publish "White Flock," which focuses on WWI.
While her professional life was going well, her personal life was falling apart. She and her husband eventually divorced, following a period of jeolousy (on the part of her husband because of her success), along with infidelity.
"Plantain," published in 1921, was Anna's fifth book of poetry. She married Vol'demar Shileiko, but this relationship was no more successful than the last. Apparently, her new husband was also jeolous of Anna's popularity.
After Lenin seized power, political problems continued. In 1921, Anna's ex-husband was arrested and executed; he was accused of taking part in a plot to overthrow the government.
Joseph Stalin gained power in 1924, and from 1925 until 1940, an unofficial ban was placed on Anna's poetry. She devoted herself to literary criticism and to literary translation work during this time. Even though she enjoyed brief popularity after the war, her poetry was officially banned from publication in 1946. She was also expelled, which meant she didn't have a ration card. She relied on her friends for the rest of her life.
On March 5, 1966, Akhmatova died peacefully. It was the 12th anniversary of Stalin's death. She is widely considered to have been the greatest woman poet in Russian literature.
