Great Regulars: It's the absurdity and dishonesty of the

judgment that recall Brodsky's trial, and also the fate of Irina Ratushinskaya, viciously punished, in part, for poems expressing her Christian beliefs. How horrible to find that, post-perestroika, rampant capitalism and artistic repression are somehow able to cohabit. Pussy Riot have explained that their protest was not primarily against religion but against the Russian Orthodox Church's support for Putin. The lyrics they wrote for Punk Prayer bear out the truth of this claim.

Punk Prayer, English version by Carol Rumens

from Carol Rumens: The Guardian: Poem of the week: Pussy Riot's Punk Prayer is pure protest poetry

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