"Four Ways of Writing the City" : St. Petersburg-Leningrad as a Metaphor in the Poetry of Joseph Brodsky

The present study discusses the theme of St. Petersburg-Leningrad in Joseph Brodsky's verse works. The chosen approach to the evolving im-age of the city in Brodsky's poetry is through four metaphors: St. Petersburg as "the common place" of the Petersburg Text, St. Petersburg as "Paradise and/or Hell", St. Petersburg as "a Utopian City" and St. Petersburg as "a Void". This examination of the city-image focusses on the aspects of space and time as basic categories underlying the poet's poetic world view. The method used is close reading, with an emphasis on semantical interpretation. The material consists of eighteen poems dating from 1958 to 1994. Apart from investigating the spatio-temporal features, the study focusses on exposing and analysing the allusions in the scrutinised works to other texts from Russian and Western belles lettres. Terminology (introduced by Bakhtin and Yury Lotman, among others) concerning the poetics of space in literature is employed in the present study. Conceptions originating from the paradigm of possible worlds are also used in elucidating the position of fictional and actual chronotopes and heroes in Brodsky's poetry. Brodsky's image of his native city is imbued with intertextual linkings. Through reminiscences of the "Divine Comedy" and Russian modernists, the city is paralleled with Dante's "lost and accursed" Florence, as well as with the lost St. Petersburg of Mandel'shtam and Akhmatova. His city-image is related to the Petersburg myth in Russian literature through their common themes of death and separation as well as through the merging of actual realia with the fictional worlds of the Petersburg Text. In his later poems, when his view of the city is that of an exiled poet, the city begins to lose its actual world referents, turning into a mental realm which is no longer connected to any particular geographical location or historical time. It is placed outside time. The native city as the homeland in its entirety is replaced by another existence created in language.

Reproductive Biology and Spawning Periodicity of Endeavour Shrimps Metapenaeus endeavouri (Schmitt, 1926) and Metapenaeus ensis (de Haan, 1850) from a Central Queensland (Australia) Fishery

Metapenaeus endeavouri and M. ensis from coastal trawl fishing grounds off central Queensland, Australia, have marked seasonal reproductive cycles. Female M. endeavouri grew to a larger size than female M. ensis and occurred over a wider range of sites and depths. Although M. ensis was geographically restricted in distribution to only the shallowest sites it was highly abundant. Mating activity in these open thelycum species, indicated by the presence or absence of a spermatophore, was relatively low and highly seasonal compared with closed thelyeum shrimps. Seasonal variation in spermatophore insemination can be used as an independent technique to study spawning periodicity in open thelycum shrimps. Data strongly suggest an inshore movement of M. endeavouri to mature and spawn. This differs from most concepts of Penaeus species life cycles, but is consistent with the estuarine significance in the life cycle of Metapenaeus species. Monthly population fecundity indices suggest summer spawning for both species, which contrasts with the winter spawning of other shrimps from the same multispecies fishery.

Joseph Molling with wife Margarete "Gretchen" nee Benjamin and son Peter on a walk.

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Portrait of Hedwig and Ludwig Heinemann and Margarete nee Benjamin and Joseph Molling.

Elderly couple Hedwig and Ludwig Heinemann envolved with Adolph Molling Business. Younger couple is Margarete "Gretchen" Molling geb. Benjamin and Joseph Molling.

Portrait of Joseph and his sister Elly Schoenbeck; Cologne, Germany. Portraits family

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Portrait of Joseph Rothschild and his wife Rosalie nee Stern; Bad Ems, Germany. Portraits Couples

Handwritten on verso of original photograph: Joseph u Rosalie Rothschild

Tombstone of Joseph Benjamin; Strangriede Cemetery, R83.8; Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

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Tombstones of Joseph Benjamin and Marianne Benjamin nee Sussmann; Strangriede Cemetery (R 83.8 and R 83.9); Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

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Portrait of Dr. Joseph Wallerstein holding his infant grandson Hans Stern.

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Tombstone of Joseph Benjamin; Strangriede Cemetery (R 83.8); Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

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Joseph Ritter von Wertheimer, Moritz Lazarus and Abraham Geiger; Officers of the first Jewish Council of Leipzig Portraits; Groups; Men

"Praesidium der ersten israelitischen Synode zu Leipzig. II Vicepraesident Ritter V. Wertheimer aus Wien. Praesident Prof. Dr. M. Lazarus aus Berlin. I Vicepraesident Dr. A. Geiger aus Frankfurt a/M."

Portrait of Dr. Joseph Wallerstein; Danzig.

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Studio portrait of Joseph Molling and business partner Ernst Joachim (?); Hannover, Germany.

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