This is the first book written for an English-speaking audience that tells the story and interprets the art of the great Russian poet Arsenii Tarkovskii.Hailed by the contemporary Russian critic Melamed as "a channel for God's grace," Tarkovskii remained a true heir to the magnificent Silver Age of Russian culture. In his genius originated the art of one of the most important filmmakers of our century, his son Andrei Tarkovskii. This book examines the influence of Arsenii Tarkovskii on his son's art while also presenting him as a poet worth knowing on his own merits: a lyric voice of intense visionary power which expresses itself in painstakingly beautiful images. This book includes the most comprehensive collection of Tarkovskii's poems translated to English in co-authorship with George Rueckert. This book was written for students of Russian poetry, history, and film. The lovers of astronomy, environmentalists, artists, philosophers, and theologians will also find Tarkovskii's complex and original view of the universe compelling and illuminating. First and foremost this book was written for poets and lovers of poetry, whenever they find themselves in this universe.