Why should I do my Russian degree at Dalhousie?

Joseph Brodsky (1940–1996), a Russian poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature (1987) and was chosen Poet Laureate of the United States (1991-92), contemplated buying a summer house in Nova Scotia. Brodsky visited Halifax to read poetry at Dalhousie and especially liked this Canadian province because it reminded him the nostalgic landscapes of his homeland (“It resembles Baltic,” Brodsky said, according to one memoirist). These unique photographs of Brodsky in Halifax were taken in November of 1979 by Ieva Vitins.

Halifax is exciting, eclectic, romantic city that blends the past with the present to produce a skyline dotted with elegant 18th- and 19th-century architecture alongside ultra-modern towers of glass and steel. The heart of Halifax is perfect for exploring on foot, with tree-lined streets, international restaurants, galleries, libraries, museums, and even a waterfront casino.

The Henry Hicks Academic Building (opened in 1951), Dalhousie University. 

Photographs by Ieva Vitins (J. Brodsky, 1979) and Yuri Leving (Halifax, 2006). These images are copyrighted. Please contact the Department of Russian Studies for permission to reproduce, distribute, or transmit them.