Anna Akhamatova (1889-1966), one of the 20C's greatest poets, lived here in utter destitution from 1924 to 1952. Muse and martyr of Saint Petersburg and silenced by the Soviet regime, she wrote most of her poems, including the famous Requiem, in one room of the communal apartment on the second floor of the building overlooking the rear courtyard. Thankfully, her work was passed on orally.