Nikolay Gumilyov

Nikolay Gumilyov (1886 – 1921) was a poet, traveller, critic and military officer. He was married to the poet Anna Akhmatova until he was arrested and executed by the Russian Secret Police. He loved Africa and travelled there often; one of his most significant collections is The Tent (1921) which contains the famous poem ‘Giraffe.’ With fellow poet Ivanov he founded ‘The Guild of Poets’ – a group committed to the craft of making poems.