Journey to Armenia: Mandelstam - The Long Desired for Voyage

British writer Toby Litt scours the mountains, lakes and capital city of Armenia for traces of a great forebear, the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam. Mandelstam visited Armenia in 1930, and during the eight months of his stay rediscovered his long-lost poetic voice and was inspired to write a prose masterpiece, Journey to Armenia. This essay, which is a beautiful, almost Cubist, meditation on the country and its ancient culture, forms the basis of Toby's quest and his dialogue with the dead poet.