Regina Derieva's verse collection Otsutstvie (Absence) is clear proof that an emigre writer or poet may remain a part of Russian literature. Derieva emigrated in 1991 and now lives in Jerusalem, and her new book was issued by the U.S.-based Hermitage Publishers. Some of the poems were written in 1984, others quite recently, yet a strong national feeling courses through all her writing, whether in vivid descriptions of life in Russia or in the poet's personal attitude toward this difficult world. In her poems Derieva continues the themes that marked her early collections Uzel zhizni (Life Junction) and Pocherk (Handwriting), which were published in 1978 and 1980 respectively in the former Soviet Union. 
     The emigre poets and those who continue to reside and create in Russia have one common feature: they never stop experimenting and truing to find new ways of expressing their ideas, feelings, philosophies, and inner selves. Derieva's poems bring to mind the best examples of contemporary poetry. According to Joseph Brodsky, they are "poetry itself", and he has seen nothing like them for a long, long time, either in English or in Russian.
     There is a prevailing opinion that since Pasternak, Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, and Mandelstam there have been no poets in Russia. That is no more acceptable than the idea that since Dostoevsky and Tolstoy there have been no novels worthy of the name. Different centuries and different times have their own influences on the development of literature. That is especially clear in poetry, which is, in my opinion, more sensitive to changes in the world. Poets reflect this influence. Modern poetry is quite different from that of the early decades of the century and conveys a sense of its day and age by its own means. Even in intimate lyrics the atmosphere of this century is strong.
     Derieva is a poet with her own "poetic" voice. Her world view is "monologic", and at the same time her lyric is very strong. She explores the world of casual events with but slight emphasis on the negative aspects. In her personal narrative, in which reality is presented in a somewhat fantastic manner, the solitary existence and unhappiness of the individual are clear. Nevertheless, the overall impression left by her poetry is one of optimism. The words "There will be spring", from her poem "Kana Galileiskaya," could serve as an epigraph to the present collection. A special place in her writing is occupied by the image of Christ, a theme previously taboo in Russian literature. Derieva sees in him the savior and hope of this world. She speaks of her personal experience, her perception of art, life, and Christ, in elaborate symbolic images. Her connection with the poetry of the past is strong, as evidenced by the numerous references to the famous names and to their poems.