This week on My Poetic Side we take a look at the news that the Russian Investigative Committee are looking into the 1841 death of Mikhail Lermontov, and we bring you an update on the National Poetry Centre.
Investigations made by Russian Investigative Committee into Death of Lermontov
An investigation into the death of the Mikhail Lermontov has been launched by The Russian Investigative Committee. The news that the investigation was taking places was initially quashed and branded false information. However, Nikolai Burlyaevsaid, an MP from the State Duma stated:
A report sent to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stated that, for many years, those who have studied Lermontov; scholars, ballistic experts, criminologists, and doctors have all stated that the investigation that was carried out in 1841 immediately following the poet’s death was not carried out in the correct manner.
They believe that the poet’s death was, in fact, not the result of a duel as has been believed all these years, but was a murder.
Lermontov was just 26 when he died, and the official cause of his death has always been listed as the result of a duel.
The duel took place between Lermontov and retired Major Nikolay Martynov on 21st July 1841, at the foot of Mount Mashuk in the North Caucasus.
Poet Laureate Welcomes £5m Investment from Government for National Poetry Centre
Simon Armitage, the poet laureate has welcomed the news that a £5m investment will be made towards the development of the National Poetry Centre. The centre, which will be located in Leeds, is set to open in 2028.
The project is set to cost around £20m and will be the first dedicated national cultural centre for poetry in the UK. There is a lot of work ahead for the project, which will see the transformation of the iconic Trinity St David’s church, which is located on Woodhouse Lane. The ambitious project will include a bookshop, 250-seat performance theatre, café. Library, recording facility, offices, study rooms and rehearsal spaces.
Armitage, who is a professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds is excited that after so many years of the UK being a nation of poets and the home of the English language there will now be a building dedicated solely to poetry. This was one of the visions that he set out when he was made poet laureate in 2019. He will finish his term in 2029, so the opening of the centre will hopefully take place during his tenure of the position.
The government money was earmarked for the project last March, but a change of government and a further consultation mean that it has only just been confirmed. The project is being supported by the West Yorkshire mayor, Arts Council England, Leeds City Council, and the University of Leeds.
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