Michael,
not really--he wrote this secretly, but the authorities found out and arrested him. It didn't lead immediately to his death--that came 5 years later. See
Wikepedia article, which includes this amazing quote:
Quote:
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Only in Russia is poetry respected, it gets people killed. Is there anywhere else where poetry is so common a motive for murder?
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Here is a selection of his poems--some are grim, some life-affirming:
Mandelstam poems.