Yuri Kazarnovsky

Yuri Kazarnovsky (1905 – 1960) was born in Rostov. In 1927 he was arrested for belonging to a subversive literary circle and spent several years in a succession of prison camps. He published one collection in 1936 which contains the famous poem ‘The Tram’.  The poem’s wit and lightness of touch are at odds with the sadness of his life but it has become a much-loved classic.