Camena

The only poetry collection Mykola Zerov published in his lifetime, and a model of Ukrainian neoclassicism. The book contains original poems, mostly sonnets, together with translations from the Roman poets, which Zerov regarded not as an appendix but as an equal part of his own work. The title refers to the Roman nymphs of springs identified with the Muses, and sets out a programme: clarity, strictness of form, and reliance on the European tradition. Zerov deliberately opposed this poetics both to the dishevelled avant-garde and to the opportunistic mass literature of his day. After the author's execution in 1937 the book remained inaccessible for decades, and its return to circulation formed part of the wider return of the Executed Renaissance. The collection was reissued once Zerov's name returned to literary circulation and remains foundational for the study of neoclassicism. Modern editions present the collection together with the author's work as a translator and a biographical essay.