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Andrey Tarkovsky (1934-86) left behind only seven major films, each one unique and unforgettable. Until recently very little has been written about him, and virtually nothing is known about his personal life.
Time Within Time, both diary and notebook, covers the years from 1970 until his death in 1986. Intimate, intense and deeply personal, it answers many of the questions which his admirers would like to ask: how did he live, in practical, day-to-day terms, during all the years when he was an acclaimed director but rarely able to make a film? Who were the important people in his life? What were his literary influences? What did he hope for, personally and professionally?
There are reflections on Dostoievsky, Tolstoy, Hesse, Mann, plans for films and screenplays, lists and letters. He writes of his family, in particular of his poet father, Arseniy Tarkovsky, whose poems are part of his films. Haunting dreams are recorded in detail. He speaks of the state of society and the future of art; there are harsh - often funny - remarks about the bureaucrats in charge of the Soviet cultural scene in general and cinema in particular. He notes significant world events and purely personal dramas along with fascinating background details of the making of his films.
Also included in this volume are the plans and notes for his stage version of Hamlet; a detailed proposal for a two-part film of Dostoievsky's The Idiot; and a glimpse of the more public Tarkovsky answering questions put to him by interviewers and an interested audience.
The book is a fragmentary, constantly changing personal journey. Yet despite the uncertainty of much of Tarkovsky's professional life, including the tragedy of exile, this is not a gloomy book; indeed, the spontaneity and warmth of the writing makes for compelling reading. As with his films, the overriding impression is one of integrity of spirit, a sense of beauty and love of life.
