ABSTRACT
Seán Dunne is one of the Irish poets whose writing has undeservedly been neglected in the field of Irish Studies. In his poetic work, Dunne concentrates on the transformations of Ireland during his lifetime with a special interest in Russian history and literature. Referring to Russian writers, he tries to establish transcultural dialogues between himself and the Russian masters he admires. At the same time, the poet attempts to use Russian history and culture as a lens in order to draw attention to the transformations and shortcomings of his own society. The Russian poet who visibly influenced Dunne’s writing most is Anna Akhmatova. This chapter focuses on Dunne’s translations of Akhmatova’s poetic production and their relevance to the poet’s view of 20th century Ireland. The Russian poets’ work allows Dunne to experiment with the polysemic nature of the Russian originals and to gain a certain mental and geographical distance from Ireland and his own biography. Akhmatova’s poems function as a transcultural lens through which the Irish writer explores his own cultural environment.
