Poet for hire

Andy Potts

Of all the services advertised in Moscow, poetry to order is one of the more unusual. But for Vera Drozdova, 36, turning out verses on demand has become a neat way of turning a life-long passion into a source of income.

Drozdova started writing as a child - "when I was eight I already had my first copy-book full of poems" - and has continued ever since. It wasn't long before people started asking her to compose something for them. While working in a variety of jobs, from teaching English to assisting a general manager, she started tackling commissions large and small on a variety of topics.

"I just enjoy writing poems," said Drozdova, whose work includes lyrics for heavy metal bands, jingles for nightclubs and now her thoughts on The Moscow News. "That comes before everything else, and financial matters have never been my priority. Depending on the complexity of the work it may take from a few hours to a week of work."

There's no such thing as a typical commission, though certain poems stick in the mind.

"I had one of my most interesting creative moments while I was writing for a fine art restorer," she said. "It was a touching love story of how he met a woman when it was raining, they fell in love with each other and after they were living together in a small house in a forest for a year. And it was so quiet there that you could hear leaves falling down. And when he was speaking to me about all this I heard poetry itself in his words."

Each piece of work has one thing in common, though. "Everyone is partial to art to a certain extent - and it's pleasant," said Drozdova. "It's necessary to get a feel for the person in front of you, and to be able to use information about the topic."

The crisis has slowed demand, but hasn't slowed Drozdova's workload. As well as keeping abreast of the latest developments in the poetry world, she's also trying to compile a book of her work in both English and Russian. Bilingual work is an "interesting and unique" challenge, especially when it comes to translation, while reading American and English poetry in the original helps keep up-to-date with the latest trends.

"All styles are interesting to me, it helps to develop my range of vision," added Drozdova. "I like a lot of poets, including Marina Tsvetayeva, Boris Poplavsky, Olga Sedakova, Leonid Gubanov, Anjelina Polonskaya, Nadezhda Muravyova. It's impossible to copy someone's vision of the world, but it's possible to be inspired by it, but not to be influenced."

Drozdova's work - in Russian and English - can be seen at http://veradr.livejournal.com/. Potential customers - or publishers - can get in touch via the site.

"The Moscow News"

Vera Drozdova

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