Andrey Tarkovsky: Time Within Time: The Diaries 1970-1986 (1994)

“The diaries of the Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky cover his life and work in the Soviet Union and the time of his exile in Western Europe.

He called his diaries Martyrolog about which he said in 1974: ‘Pretentious and false as a title, but let it stay as a reminder of my ineradicable, futile worthlessness.’ The diaries are deeply personal and were intended mainly for Tarkovsky himself. Some entries are seemingly trivial, as for example shopping lists or entries on his health. Another frequent topic are other film directors or artists, which Tarkovsky generally regarded with a negative attitude. At other time Tarkovsky discusses philosophical or film theoretical questions, not necessarily related to day to day events. Tarkovsky kept his diary until shortly before his death on December 29, 1986. The last entry was on December 15, 1986. His last words were ‘But now I have no strength left – that is the problem’.

After the 1991 coup several memos surfaced that alleged that the KGB had at times access to the diaries. Although Tarkovsky did not openly oppose the Soviet system, his work heavily emphasized spiritual themes, that were at conflict with the official anti-religious atheist ideology, prompting the KGB to open a file on him.” (Wikipedia)

First published in German, Verlag Ullstein, Frankfurt am Main/Berlin, 1989
Translated from the Russian by Kitty Hunter-Blair, 1991 (Russian original was not published until 2008)
Publisher Faber and Faber, London/Boston, 1994
ISBN 0571167179, 9780571167173
407 pages

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