Poetry / poems by individual poets

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Book SynopsisTen Modern Arab Poets, first published in 1992, is a selection of the best of Irish poet Desmond O''Grady''s translations from the Arabic. The poets choen include Abu Nuwas of Iraq, Ibrahim Naji of Egypt, Badawi al-Jabal of Syria and Al-Tijani Yusuf Bashir of Sudan. "Love is the dominant theme of all Arabic poetry from pre-Islamic times to the present," O''Grady writes in his introduction. "The Arab concept of poets and poetry is essentially romantic, and love in its various forms essentially its theme: love of woman, friend, country, Arab identity, God or his manifestations". O''Grady also provides a short biographical introduction to each poet.

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Book Synopsis"[T]he trained eye of the natural scientist and the impassioned soul of a poet fuse to create a poetic universe that is nothing short of miraculous. At home in the liminal spaces where revelations still occur, she approaches our fragile natural environment invariably with a sense of wonder and a detached observant love for its creatures. The precision of her sensual, superbly controlled descriptions, are breath-taking. Encounters with the ''other'' world of our animal brothers and sisters display a sense of tact and empathy which is Keatsian in scope. Tribe is an elegy for a lost paradise, a Song of Songs for squirrel, fox and raven, whale, wolf and gannet, and ultimately it raises serious questions for us and generations to come-how did we squander our inheritance so mindlessly: what have we done with the garden entrusted to us?" - Eva Bourke, author of The Latitude of NaplesMARY MONTAGUE grew up in Co. Fermanagh and studied Genetics and Zoology at Queen''s University, Belfast. She worked for many years as a teacher in Derry. Her first collection, Black Wolf on a White Plain, was published by Summer Palace Press in 2001. She is currently living and working in Lancaster.

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Book Synopsis"Commandments", Jackie Wills' fourth collection, is arguably her strongest to date. Here are poems of love and disenchantment, poems about landscapes, both familiar and unfamiliar, poems in which the poet, with her acute powers of observation, looks at the 'ordinary' and redraws it in an extraordinary, even a disturbing, way. "Commandments" is divided into two distinct parts. The first part has two main points of focus: one is the Ten Commandments, each of which Jackie Wills re-states with such sensitivity and understanding that the impact is sometimes overwhelming; the other is the poet herself in poems which look inward but which have a universal relevance. The 'commandment' poems and what the poet refers to as the 'me' poems interweave in this first section to extraordinary effect. By contrast, the second part of the book consists of a cycle of landscape poems, largely about Wills' home territory, Brighton and its environs.Table of ContentsPart I: The birds sing about water / Honour one god / Love song for Fidel Castro / Don't make idols / The other woman / Don't take my name in vain / Impala / Day of rest / Girls / Honour your father and mother / Alphabetic / Don't kill / Mind museum / Don't commit adultery / Women of affairs / Don't steal / A life of sin / Don't lie / Her promises / Don't covet your neighbour's goods / Leaving it to the cuckoos / The islands / Face / My mother's half / The me who drinks too much / Her fangs, her horns / The me who's a wish / Ravine / The me who's a mother / Inured / The me who won't be civilised / Pieces of her / Waiting / Her sleepless nights / Fire-eater / Letter / The oldest kingdom / Desire / Crawling on pebbles. PART II: For a path of 12 circular stepping stones / Concerns of a mature woman / How long could you stretch a summer? / Salmonskin coat / Theatre / A day in November / Appeasement / Whitehawk / Cuckmere Haven / Suspended / Improvisation / Where I live . Biographical note.

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Book SynopsisLarissa Miller is one of Russia's most highly-regarded writers - novelist, essayist and poet - and this selection from her collection "Between the Cloud and the Pit" (1999) spans her poetic output from the 1960s to the millennium. "Guests of Eternity" is a presentation, in chronological order, of poems written (but not published) in the three decades preceding glasnost' as well as the final decade of the twentieth century. Here are political poems from the '70s and '80s which speak openly about the horrors of the Soviet system, others which comment directly on purges and torture, and yet more which convey the struggle to grow and mature with one's soul intact in a world of suffering.Yet throughout this book, as Sasha Dugdale points out in her introduction, there are moments of hope, of a spiritual - even religious - dimension that afford glimpses of a transcendent world and bring peace of mind to the beleaguered soul. Larissa Miller is a consummate technician, combining simple words with complicated and intricate rhythms to produce apparently effortless poetry which succeeds in elevating the ordinary and commonplace to a higher plane. Described by her translator Richard McKane as 'a poet of all seasons, not only of the natural world, but of the soul', Larissa Miller writes with an intensity and a lyricism that is compelling, mesmerising and unforgettable.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's note. Translator's preface by Richard McKane.Introduction by Sasha Dugdale.Part I: Poems of the 60s & 70sI have only one picture, Don't scare offA... , The wind bends the trees , The day is so fragile, In the clear midday , Everything happened, Teach me simplicity, O mixed grasses, There whereA..., Do these days, It seemed all was marked, Anonymous days, I writeA... , Our life is sewnA..., And instead of graceA..., Look my darling, Not us, but the airA..., Pan is led by passionA..., Come here, Tormented by a concept, The autumn windA..., Where to run?, Get up, YashaA..., That tempo againA...Part II: Poems of the 80sBetween the cloud and the pit, RitenutoA..., I have good news, An unprecedented event, Love to the grave, To go out once from fate, There is a surprising breach, Another flight, more steps, We talk and talk, Someone's handsA..., We are guests of eternity, You are thrown into the abyss, 'Where are you going?', Not to make sense in words, First they rounded them up, So, the action takes placeA..., What do you payA...?, Do you not feel painA..., Forgive meA..., According to some secret plan, A word is a tear, Height is gained immediately, A singing clockface, Is it possible to scare mortals?, Eight linesA..., The snow sparkledA..., From the splendid acacia and lilac bushes, The autumn rains rustlePart III: Poems of the 90sThe clouds fly across the sky, MemoirsA..., A million orange streaks. Moss and fir cones, Again loss and abandonment, It's easy to go away, I write poemsA..., Again the fateful minutes, In this province of mourningA..., We live our lifeA..., You got hooked, The whip and the honeycake, The roar of the machineA..., They waited for lightA..., Let's fill in the form, Where are you from?, My life is curiouser and curiouser, It was on the very last day, Heavy daysA..., It's not worth livingA..., What is there overhead, English Lesson, They were singingA... , I'm on about my own stuffA..., The heavens are playingA..., Almighty, do not have mercy. Biographical notes.

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Book SynopsisAlthough the Austrian poet Georg Trakl was born over a century ago, the mesmerising imagery and haunting visions of his highly sensitive and morbidly introspective poetry are as powerful today as they were when he poured forth his extraordinary and unclassifiable volume of work. A source of inspiration for artists, musicians and writers throughout the Expressionist period and beyond, Trakl's poetry – bleak, yet full of tenderness and hope, nightmarish yet eeriely beautiful – has steadfastly defied any coherent critical analysis.Will Stone's outstanding new translation, complete with contextualizing essays, promises to rekindle interest in the work of this seminal poet.GEORG TRAKL (1887-1914) was one of the most influential poets of his time. Born in Salzburg, Austria, he died at the tragically early age of 27 from an overdose of cocaine whilst being held for psychiatric observation in a military hospital in Krakow, Poland. WILL STONE is a poet and translator, whose translations of the work of Nerval, Rodenbach, Baudelarie, Verhaeren and Egon Schiele have been published in books and literary journals. He has published several pamphlet collections of poetry, and reviews by him have appeared in the TLS, Guardian and Independent on Sunday and in various literary magazines.This title is also available from Amazon as an eBook.

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Book SynopsisPOETRY BOOK SOCIETY RECOMMENDED TRANSLATION in a translation by Daniel Weissbort that Elaine Feinstein describes in her illuminating introduction as 'clean, clear and … amazingly felicitous'. Lisnianskaya, an intensely lyrical poet, is first and foremost a love poet, and the love that she and her late husband, the celebrated poet Semyon Lipkin, had for one another colours – without the least sentimentality – many of Lisnianskaya's more recent poems. Indeed, her most recent collection consists partly of an elegy to him."Always – intensity of feeling, and a tranquillity(rare) of the most profound sort. No artificiality,no posing – total sincerity."Alexander Solzhenitsyn (of Lisnianskaya's poetry)INNA LISNIANSKAYA was born in Baku in 1928 and her first poetry collection appeared in 1957. She is now recognised as one of Russia's leading female poets, a recipient of both the State Prize and the Solzhenitsyn Prize for her work. She lives in Moscow. DANIEL WEISSBORT founded the magazine Modern Poetry in Translation in 1965 with the late Ted Hughes, and editedit until 2004. He is Research Fellow at Kings College, London and Honorary Professor in the Centre for Translation & Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Warwick.Trade Review"Always - intensity of feeling, and a tranquillity (rare) of the most profound sort. No artificiality, no posing - total sincerity." Alexander Solzhenitsyn (of Lisnianskaya's poetry)"

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Book SynopsisWhen Valerie Rouzeau's first poem sequence was published in France a decade ago under the title "Pas Revoir", it met with immediate critical acclaim. These poems are an urgent, stammered lament for her dead father, a scrap-merchant, in which the poet's adult voice and that of the little girl she used to be combine in an extraordinary blend of baby-talk, youthful slang, coinages and puns - a breathless delivery of tremendous power. The influential poet and critic Andre Velter has described Rouzeau's poetry as 'violent in its capacity to exalt and disturb'. This quality comes to the fore in Susan Wicks' remarkable translation, the excellence and ingenuity of which, in Stephen Romer's words at the conclusion of his introduction to this volume, 'make good the transposition of this pure and singular voice into English'.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's note, Translator's preface, Introduction. Toi mourant / You dying Serrements de mains / Handshakes all well Neige les yeux rouges / Snow when your eyes are red Mon pere son camion / My dad his lorry Ils ont shoote / When they were ten Parmi tout / In the middle La neige a ses reves / The snow has dreams Ce n'est pas quand / It isn't when Une fourmi / An ant La plantee / Stuck there Les roses / The roses Rien a mettre / Nothing to wear Nous n'irons plus / We won't go Le hangar / The shed Mon pere / My father De dans la chambre / With in the room Papa dire papa / Tell me, daddy dear Je ne porte pas / I don't wear Parmi la dinette en morceaux / Among my little sister julie's C'est une colle / It's a sticky one Un drap blanc / A white flag Miroir dis-moi voir / Mirror just let me see Tartines beurrees / Butter-frosted Te parler papa / Talk to you dad Le ciel se danse / The sky's up on its pedals Les pommes d'or / The golden summer apples Vieux vieux papiers / Old old papers Tu n'ecoutes plus / You never listen Ton fauteuil / Your armchair Ca va quand on demande / Okay when people ask Ca fait deux / And that makes two M'endors seule / Doze off alone De la cabine / From the cab Papa ca va / Daddy how goes it Dans le journal / In the paper Le temps toque coucou / Time crazy cuckoo Ou mon pere / Where my father Le ciel tout bleu / The sky all blue Ma mere rougit / My mother blushes Gerbes gerbes / Sprays of flowers Ce n'est toujours pas toi / It's still not you La robe en jean bleue de travail / Blue denim working dress Froid le ciment / Cold the cement Arrive un air / Here comes a tune Ma mere prend la photo / My mother takes the photo Je monte l'eau / I take the water Mon pere avait sa phenix maison / My father had his phoenix house Savoir ca voir rien / Knowing no wing Toi pendant ta balade / You on your walk II y a des echelles / Scales of things Mon pere mon pere / My father my father Ils font leur bruit de manger / They make their family eating noise Sur le toit de l'hospice On the nursing-home roof Le reve a Kenichie Horie / The dream Kenichi Horie had Pleut sur les fleurs / Raining on the flowers Suis debout dans ta ruelle / Standing beside your bed Du temps du moment / From the time Au bout d'un fil d'araignee / At the end of a cobweb Ma grand-mere epluche / My grandmother's peeling Le voisin matinal / The morning neighbour's On trouvait de quoi / We'd find something Bledine et champe / Cereal and champers C'est le meme vieil oiseau / It's the same old crock Les roses les roses / Roses roses Je t'ecrivais / I'd write you Ne plus tenir debout / Dead on my feet Prenant chez meme cafe / Coffee at gran's Juillet a rassembler / July spent bunching together Le camion rutilant / The gleaming lorry Ta belle tete / Your lovely head Les mains si froides / Your hands so cold Ce que devient ton cA ur / What becomes of your heart II ne t'encolere pas / It doesn't make you cross De l'escargot / Of the snail J'ai mis mes chaussures de marcheuse / I put on my walker's shoes Mon pere qu'on opera / My dad they operated on J'amene des fleurs / I bring flowers Les yeux tout sales / Eyes all dirty fingers Ma main la posee / My hand there resting End Notes, Biographical Notes.

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Book SynopsisTRANSLATED BY MARA ROZITIS An extraordinary cycle of poems – magical, mysterious, sinister, funny – about exile, in which the protagonist, Wolf One-Eye, finds himself an exile from an ancient mythological landscape in a new realm of quarks and expanding and alternating universes. Dislocated and alone, he travels through totally unfamiliar territory, closely observed by the other voice in these poems, that of the poet / narrator. Kronbergs is himself an exile, having grown up as a refugee child in Sweden after the Second World War, and this gives an edge to his poetry that is both distinctive and resonant. He is a poet, freelance journalist and translator. Kronbergs was born 1946 in Sweden, in an exiled Latvian family. He studied Literature, Nordic and Baltic languages at the University of Stockholm, as well as Translation theory and 20th Century poetry at Cambridge. He has been the President of the Latvian PEN centre, and received the Latvian Three Star order, the Swedish North Star order, several scholarships and prizes for poetry and translation in Latvia and in Sweden; among them the prize for best poetry collection of the year in Latvia (1997) for the collection Wolf One-Eye . He has published ten collections of poetry, one in Swedish and one bilingual, as well as poetry on CD. Arc Visible Poets series – The translators working on this series aim to reveal the original language in all its manifestations and make it 'visible'. By this process, they invite the reader to develop a deeper understanding and enjoyment of, both the original and the translated poem.Table of ContentsTranslator's preface / 10 Introduction / 14 Out of the blue / 19 A strange event / 21 Wolf One-Eye on his first day / 23 Wolf One-Eye thinks himself up a house / 25 How Wolf One-Eye lost his eye / 27 Wolf One-Eye two-eyes / 29 Wolf One-Eye goes farming / 31 Wolf One-Eye thinks about constancy / 33 A blessed net / 35 Wolf One-Eye goes searching / 37 Wolf One-Eye's winter prayer / 39 Wolf One-Eye believes that from this moment there will only be half of everything / 41 Wolf One-Eye observes his own thoughts / 43 A dream terrain / 45 Wolf One-Eye imagines darkness / 47 Wolf One-Eye detached from the world / 49 Wolf One-Eye reflects on himself / 51 Wolf One-Eye has changed / 53 Wolf One-Eye at the circus / 55 Wolf One-Eye the mute / 57 Wolf One-Eye rakes up the past / 59 Wolf One-Eye struggles / 61 Wolf One-Eye as the only victim / 63 Wolf One-Eye's burden / 65 Wolf One-Eye takes a walk / 67 Wolf One-Eye thinks about time / 69 Wolf One-Eye in time / 71 Lone wolf / 73 Whole wolf / 75 Wolf One-Eye hears his own breathing / 77 Wolf One-Eye forgives (forgets) / 79 Wolf One-Eye tries dancing / 81 Wolf One-Eye views himself as yesterday / 83 Wolf One-Eye is ailing / 85 Wolf One-Eye has shrunk / 87 The bridge / 89 Wolf One-Eye in confusion / 91 Wolf One-Eye has the solution / 93 Wolf One-Eye in memory and language / 95 Wolf One-Eye on Odin's Street / 99 Wolf One-Eye reasons / 101 Wolf One-Eye loses his head / 103 Wolf One-Eye has lost it / 105 Wolf One-Eye at peace / 107 Wolf One-Eye the monument / 109 Wolf One-Eye and force of habit / 111 Wolf the other / 113 Wolf One-Eye and Death, once more / 117 Wolf One-Eye feels free / 119 Room with a view / 123 Wolf One-Eye in spring / 125 Out of the dark / 127 The beginning / 129 Biographical notes / 130

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Book SynopsisTranslated By Donald GardnerFaded Days It was late in the eveningrain caught in lamplight beat down on the cobbles of the Old Mechlin Road you were wearing an off-white dress I'd have guessed you were fifteen you were walking down the street as I was crossing cars passed by braked rode on you asked me the way to the Muse Café the bar where that singer was on singer you said of your song voice that had found you you were on your way there 'Just follow the tram lines' I let you go Antwerp girl you're still on my mind what have I done with my lifeIconoclastic, experimental, bohemian and anti-establishment, Remco Campert – who came to prominence in the 1950s – has survived to become something of a national institution in the Netherlands: as a chronicler of alternative Amsterdam life in stories and novels; as a columnist in a national newspaper; as a script-writer and film-maker; and above all as a steadily productive, if not prolific, poet. For many Dutch people, Campert remains first and foremost the writer of such classics as Alle dagen feest (Party, Party, 1952), Een ellendige nietsnut (A Useless Layabout, 1960). Hopefully, this new translation of Campert's quiet and quirky work (reminiscent of Brian Patten's or Roger McGough's) can help gain a new audience in the Anglo-Saxon world. "Influenced by jazz, Campert's dry, almost dead-pan voice could be difficult to convey in English but Donald Gardner's versions capture both the lightness and the underlying intensity of the originals: 'Doors are open,' as 'House in Antwerp' wryly observes, 'that will never close again'."Modern Poetry in TranslationDonald Gardner, born in London in 1938, is a poet and freelance Dutch translator. He has lived in Holland since 1979. He was originally a translator of Latin American literature and his published work includes an acclaimed translation of Octavio Paz's long poem, The Sun Stone (Cosmos, York 1968), and Marcel Duchamp or the Castle of Purity (Cape, 1970). He also published translations of poems by Ernesto Cardenal and contributed to Con Cuba, an anthology of Cuban poetry (Cape Goliard, 1969). He translated the notoriously difficult novel Three Trapped Tigers by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, in collaboration with the author (Harper & Row, 1971). He is the author of several collections of poetry, the most recent of which are: How to Get the Most out of Your Jet Lag (Ye Olde Font Shoppe, New Haven, 2001) and The Glittering Sea (Hearing Eye Press, 2006). He is known for his performances of his poetry -- in Amsterdam, London and New York.Table of ContentsMy Mother's House Faded Days City Journey Lost Cause Seventeen Sketches Hotel Back in Town Light Chanson Triste (1955) The First Time Mumblings Lack of Proof Hay Farmer's Wife in Northern France Now I am Seventy-Two Light Years The Remains of Moto Mosoro's Glasses after Hiroshima Thinking of Jacques Prevert and Joseph Kosma I Dreamed in the Cities at Night Snail In the Dark Street Theatre Ciudad Invisible Unsent Letter January 1943 Junkie Jealousy Sickening! Like Two White Sailing Boats Livorno Mumblings House in Antwerp Form The White Rose Ode to my Coat Art Teacher Provisional Poem for Jan Wolkers Lament Biographical notes

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Book SynopsisSoleiman Adel Guemar was born and raised in Algiers where he worked as a journalist. He published numerous stories and won two national poetry prizes. In 2002 he left Algeria to seek safety for himself and his family in the UK. 'Sate of Emergency', a representative selection of Guemar's poetry,is rooted in Algerian experience, speaking of urgent concerns everywhere - oppression, resistance, state violence, traumas and private dreams. His poetry sings of life's sensual pleasures in the face of the grotesque morbidity of violent political repression. In the excellent translation by Tom Cheesman and John Goodby, Guemar's poems carry all their native force and brusque wit. In her introduction, Lisa Appignanesi writes: "Soleiman Adel Guemar is almost exactly as old as the independent Republic of Algeria. He has witnessed its terrible history, the crimes against humanity which attended its birth and the enduring 'state of emergency' under which life has been blighted ever since. This volume marks an important moment: a record from the inside of a history which is too palpably of our times...Where before we had only newspaper headlines, we now have a living voice, both political and lyrical - an intensely individual voice which speaks out freely and traces the lineaments of a tragic history. "Table of ContentsTranslators' preface/12, Introduction/21, Illusions/27, The right eyes/29, Itinerary/31, False departure/33, Summer hubbub/35, Hold-up/37, Certainties/39, The voiceless/41, The festival of the wolf/43, Graffiti/45, An original summer/47, Evenings/55, Suns/57, Eternal/59, For the love of jazz and chaabi/61, Ceremony/65, The hymn to paunches/67, Don Quimoh/69, The keywords/71, Anniversary/73, Rendez-vous/77, Homage/79, Loundja/81, Monologue/83, Here and there/85, Gegene/87, Interrogatory/89, A draught/91, The Aleph point/93, Place names/97, Leaves of mint/99, Russian dolls/101, Moonlight/103, A dream/105, Of puppets and men/107, Riff-raff/109, The choice/111, Flight and forgiveness/113, Sepulchres/115, To live far/117, The system/119, Offside/121, Parallel gardens/123, Overthrow/125, Outside and inside/127, Exile/131, Club des Pins/133, Demo/137, Scenarios/139, State of emergency/141, Crazy hope/145, Adieu!/147, Waiting/149, Vengeance/151, Force-folie/153, Right answers/155, Fire of joy/157. Notes/58. Biographical notes/160.

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Book SynopsisLudwig Steinherr is one of the most compelling new voices to have emerged in Germany since the late 1980s and this selection - the first to appear in English - from his 10 poetry collections published between 1985 and 2005 reflects the breadth and depth of his writing, ranging from its post-Celanian darkness to its insistence on light. "This is an uplifting selection from ten collections over twenty years. Steinherr's calling as philosopher is noticeable throughout. He seeks clarification and meaning always, sees the simplicities within the complexity, shows us the obvious that we had missed." Wawick Review, June 2011Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Note, Translator's Preface, Introduction I Man kann nicht / One can't, Sage / Legend, Immer wieder - / Again and again - , Sich orientieren / Finding one's bearings, Mit einer Tute Obst im Regen / With a bag of fruit in the rain, In einem Hotelzimmer / In a hotel room, Unschuld des Steines / The innocence of stone, Aristoteles hielt - / Aristotle thought - , Stuck / Stucco, Wiederholungen / Repetitions, Vom Sehen / On vision, Nada / Nada, Der Kachelofen flustert Descartes /The tiled stove whispers with Descartes, Dieser Moment - / This moment - , Von der Wahrheit / On Truth, Das Wunder / The miracle. II Ovid ubersetzen - eine Nachhilfestunde / Translating Ovid - a coaching session, Sudliches Cafe / Southern cafe, Casa di Giulietta / Casa di Giulietta, Casa di Desdemona / Casa di Desdemona, Sudliche Szene / Southern scene, Endpunkt / Terminus, Markt, Abend / Market, evening, Operndonner / Operatic thunder, Lady Macbeth als kleines Madchen / Lady Macbeth as a little girl, SchnappschuA , Kindheit / Snapshot, childhood, Vorfahren / Forebears, Fragment, historisch / Historical fragment, Leidensstatte / Place of suffering. III Gedichte / Poems, Blick zwischen zwei Spiegel / Glance between two mirrors, Von der Blindheit / On blindness, Orte / Places, Biografien / Biographies, Im Inneren der Bucher - / Inside the books - , Dem Bildhauer Josef A. Henselmann / To the sculptor Josef A. Henselmann, Worte / Words, Manchmal / Sometimes, Finis operis / Finis operis. IV Die alten Bilder / Old paintings, Adam und Eva in einer fruhen Darstellung / An early representation of Adam and Eve, Romisches Mosaik / Roman mosaic, DorfstraA e van Het Bilt / Village street van Het Bilt, Versuchung des Hl. Antonius / The Temptation of St. Anthony, Galleria Pitti, Florenz / Galleria Pitti, Florence, Piero della Francesca malt die Schlacht - / Piero della Francesca paints the battle - , Ansicht einer idealen Stadt / View of an ideal city, Die uns ansehen / Which are looking at us, Entfernungen / Distances, Berninis Daphne / Bernini's Daphne, Vermeer / Vermeer, Tod des Malers / Death of the painter, Junge Frau, nach Renoir / Young woman, after Renoir, Grashupfer / Grasshopper. V Sekunde / Second, Zu einem Foto der Franziska zu Reventlow / On a photo of Franziska zu Reventlow, Brief / Letter, Idee / Idea, Urbild / Original beneath all the copies, Schwarze Nacht / Black night, Fresko, vielfach ubermalt / Fresco, repeatedly painted over, Von der Treue / On Fidelity, Von der teilnahmslosen Welt / On the unconcerned world. VI Hohlenbilder / Cave paintings, Palaontologisches Museum / Palaeontological museum, Homo sapiens / Homo sapiens, Vom Geist / A disquisition on the human spirit, Die alltaglichen - / The commonplace - , Foto / Photo, Fuhrung / Guided tour, Lago di Tovel / Lago di Tovel, Weisheiten fur gemaA igte Klimazonen / Wisdoms for moderate climates, Was wunderst du dich - / Why are you surprised - , Umsteigen / Changing trains, Von der Abstraktion / On Abstraction, Der Schmerz / Pain. VII Luigi P./ Luigi P., Der ferne Freund / Your distant friend, Ein Dichter stirbt / A poet dies, Nach dem Tod ihres Mannes / After her husband's death, Sterbegedicht oder Geschichte ruckwarts / Funereal poem or History backwards, Schlaf in Chinatown / Sleeping in Chinatown, Gott muA zusehen / God must be watching, Die Heilige / The saint, Les Fleurs du Mal / Les Fleurs du Mal, Gestandnis / Confession, Epiphanie / Epiphany, Glauben / Belief, Von der Unbelehrbarkeit / On unteachableness, Man schamt sich zu sagen / One is ashamed to say, Dieses Privileg - / This privilege - , Verzogerte Post / Post delivered late, Dankesbrief an Mr Laurel und Mr Hardy / Letter of thanks to Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy. VIII Einem jungen Elternpaar / To a young mother and father, Stimmen, Laute / Voices, sounds, Panik / Panic, Es ist soweit / It's time, Auf meinem SchoA / On my lap. Notes Biographical notes

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Book SynopsisBorn in San Sebastian, and still living and working there, the Basque poet Eli Tolaretxipi has published two collections of poetry in Spanish - "Amor muerto naturaleza muerta" ("Past Love Still Life") and "Los lazos del numero" ("The Loops of the Figure"). Although translated into French and Italian, she has had to wait until the publication of this volume for her poetry to appear in English in a fine translation by Philip Jenkins; Robert Crawford's excellent introduction to this volume helps to set her work in context.Eli Tolaretxipi's poetry has a rich sense of unease, the sense of unease we feel about love and perception. Her first collection draws on the language of the visual arts to portray the end of a failing relationship, while her second reflects on the nature of perception and poetry. "Still Life with Loops", as its title suggests, is made up of work from both these collections. Her poetry is similar in texture to that of some of the English-language women poets she has translated into Spanish, Elizabeth Bishop and Sylvia Plath among them.Table of ContentsTranslator's Preface, Introduction by Robert Crawford.From PAST LOVE STILL LIFE: I i, I ii, I iii, I iv, I v, I vii, I viii, I xiii, I xxvii, I xxviii, I xxxi, I xxxiv, I xxv, II i, II ii, II iii, II v, II vi, II x, II xii, II xiii. El Pez / The Fish. From THE LOOPS OF THE FIGURE: Es un pasaje estrecho / There is a narrow passage, Yo estoy ahi / I am there, Cercada por una luz que desprende / The street is surrounded by a light, Lectura 27-xii-2000 11 pm / Reading 27-xii-2000 11 pm, Lectura 29-xii-2000 1.00 am / Reading 29-xii-2000 1.00 am, Lectura 8-i-2001 5.45 am / Reading 8-i-2001 5.45 am, Conferencia 13-i-2001 7.30 pm / Lecture 13-i-2001 7.30 pm, Lectura 9 / Reading 9, La maquina de museo resopla... / The engine from the museum snorts..., El cuerpo del agua esta metido / The mass of water is enclosed, En suenos mato a uno, / In dreams I kill someone, Petirrojo de cuerpo diminuto, / A robin with a tiny body, Padre / Father, Madre / Mother, Yo / Me, Me coloco detras de el / I stand behind him, Nada ocurre tal y como ocurre en el poema / Nothing happens in the way that it happens in the poem, La noche pasa como una enfermedad... / The night passes like an illness..., La cama es un pozo / The bed is a well, La maquina de museo consigue detener el agua, / The engine from the museum manages to stop the water, Hay un sobresalto inesperado pero regular / She has an unexpected but regular fright, El viento debe de ser eso / The wind must be this, Paso las hojas de la libreta / I turn the pages of the notebook, Me cortan un trozo de carne del hombro / They cut a piece of skin from my shoulder, Los cuerpos se tienden sobre... / The bodies lie down on..., El viento de la maquina bate / The wind from the machine strikes.Biographical notes.

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Book SynopsisArmenia's most significant contemporary poet, Razmik Davoyan is one of a handful of names in Armenian literature which define not only an era, but go much further to embody an entire history. Davoyan's work reflects the experiences of an old nation, yet it is fresh and very personal at the same time. It is impossible not to feel the struggles, hopes and aspirations of his native land in his work. "Whispers and Breath of the Valleys" is a book charged with energy - indeed, W. N. Herbert, in his introduction, describes it as being 'saturated with joy'. Davoyan displays 'an equal empathy for the suffering and the exultant, finding for both a voice that implies such oppositions are finally resolved in the poem'. This is accessible, readable poetry from a world, a way of life and a culture unfamiliar to most English-language readers and, as such, it fascinates and enthrals.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's note, Translator's Preface, Introduction, We are being tickled - A", The waters are eating tulips - A", Ginestra, The roofs are not standing - A", The moon - A", It is midday - A", The rain falls - A", The yellow rustle - A", Creation, I smell the flowers - A", The willows - A", Unwrap Your Skin, Zvartnots, The wind is - A", I'm in a shower of light - A", I am Not Here Now, Exit, A Copper Rose, The pitchers - A", Some Wishes - , Storm, The wind is wandering - A" , Like a Whisper, Vision, Yessenin, I should go to greet - A", Earth, It is impossible - A", The wind pushes - A", A Sad Song, Invitation, And Men are born, it seems, Squeeze the Sorrow, A Confused Eye, Head to Toes, My voice - A", Open, do open - A", With a soft whisper - A", Upon the silence - A", The blue trees - , Journey - 4, Mary, Mother of Christ, Biographical Notes

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Book Synopsis"Defying Fate", like most of Maurice Careme's poetry, is marked by its fluency and ease of access. Here are poems that charm at first sight, short, seductive to the eye and ear, satisfyingly metrical and given to rhyme. Their subject matter is generally familiar to us - children, silence, death, God, the troubled mind - and is argued and developed in ways we can follow with sympathy; this is poetry to identify with, poetry of shared emotion and aesthetic satisfaction. In his introduction, Martin Sorrell calls Careme 'a poet of tact. What he says may be disturbing, but the way in which he says it remains well-mannered', and Christopher Pilling, in his sensitive and resourceful translation, conveys this absolutely. "Defying Fate", which, incidentally was published posthumously, is a fascinating introduction to this intriguing Belgian poet.Table of ContentsTranslator's preface, Introduction. Le coeur pur / The pure in heart, Il avait du ciel / He had sky, L'homme / The man, Il voulut dire... / He wanted to say..., La liberte / Freedom, Le cri de la grive / The cry of the thrush, Les illusions / The illusions, Il parlait pour tuer le temps / He talked to kill time, La meme allee / The same way, La banniere / The banner, L'incredule / The non-believer, On s'habitue a tout / You can get used to owt, La rue deserte / The empty street, Dieu et le diable / God and the Devil, Ce rien de ciel / This dab of sky, La maison / The house, Les navires / Certain ships, Les chaines / Chains, Le peuplier / The poplar, La tete / In the head, Que cherchait-il... / What was he looking for..., La voix / The voice, Le monde est beau / The world is beautiful, L'indigent / The pauper, Le suicide / The suicide, Les deux gamins / The two strapping lads, Le misanthrope / The misanthropist, Sous le ciel noir / Under the threatening sky, Le mort et l'enfant / The dead man and the child, La marche d'escalier / One in a flight, La charrette arretee / The cart's held up, Devant l'hotel / Outside the hotel, Il riait / He laughed, Que cherchait-il? / What was he seeking?, La mort de Marie / The death of Marie, Son meilleur ami / His best friend, Le collectionneur / The collector, Il se sentit devenir... / He felt himself becoming..., Le chasseur / The huntsman, Je ne sais pas si Dieu / I don't know whether God, Le soir tombait / Night was falling, La reine morte / The dead queen, Le sculpteur / The sculptor, Le portrait / The portrait, L'indecis / The haverer, La voute des cieux / The heavenly vault, Sur le quai / On the quay, Les cimetieres / Cemeteries, A quoi bon s'en faire! / What's the good of worrying!, La fermiere / The farmer's wife, Il avait... / What he had, On le laissait dire / They let him say it, Le mot / The word, Il se souvint / He remembered, L'envie / The desire, Il se depechait de rire / He was quick to laugh, Il se demanda pourquoi / He wondered why, Au cadran de l'eternite / On eternity's clockface, Avec les yeux du cA ur / With the eyes of his heart, Celui qu'il attendait / The one he was waiting for, L'ecrivain / The writer, Rien dans les mains / With nothing in his hands, Melanie / Melanie, Les cieux / The heavens, L'angoisse / Man in anguish, La troupe d'anges / The band of angels, L'aube / Dawn, Baptiste / Baptiste, Le tiroir / The drawer, Le mur blanc / The white wall, Vous moquez-vous? / You pulling my leg?, On disait / What they said, Faut-il s'etonner? / Should we be surprised?, Il ne parlait que du ciel / All he talked of..., Il mit son coeur / He put his heart, Il se revoyait / He saw himself, Le canot / The rowing boat, Le voyageur / The traveller, Le debonnaire / Seeing the good, Il s'assit / He sat, Le mendiant / The beggar, A force de le repeter / By dint of repeating it, Il disait oui / He said yes, Regardez... / Look..., Les choses / Things, Dans la nuit / In the night, Il avait eu beau... / In vain..., La faim / Hunger, Que toute une allee... / That a whole line..., L'affame / The hungry man, Ce petit rien / A little something, L'homme et la mort / The man and death, L'innocent du village / The village innocent, L'artiste / The artist, Il aimait caresser / He loved stroking, C'etait si simple / It was so simple, Le tas de cendress / The pile of ash, Il chercha Dieu / He searched for God, L'animal / The animal, Ils reclamaient / They were appealing, Il viendra / He will come. Biographical notes

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Book SynopsisAn astonishing musical quality resonates throughout this collection, full of echoes and recapitulations tying the epic range of material together. From fairy tales to the Bible, Jerusalem to Hollywood, Cromwell to the Suffragettes, cafes to graveyards, the reader is taken to iconic times and landmarks, to breathe in the herbs of history. This is a world where whipped cream is not innocent, just as William Morris wallpaper has significance. Here chance encounters and solitary confinements constantly push at what communication, language and, ultimately, poetry can do. As rich in emotional truth as intellectual risk, this collection always provides enough space for the reader to enter its playful, if unsettling, symphony and engage wholeheartedly.Table of Contentsnatural chemistry; Goneril; apple boy; is Joan Baez Virginia Woolf's real daughter?; kindness, you can't accuse me of; haiku for Rosie; photography (for Eve Arnold 1913-2012); on looking for a new bathroom suite (we hear sweet charity); Esther's book (or atheism); Los Angeles; Sunday; Monday; Tuesday; Wednesday; Thursday; Friday; Mantegna and I; owning up; like the dawn I was before; burning sage; snow and sewers in Berlin; stones at; the French lady at Christmas; the Hidden God (or atheism); dialectical haiku (intertextual); Samson after Milton; Silk Thistle or how the vote was won; Black Maria; First date; Politics; Memory; I meet a hero; Prison 1; Silence; Prison 2; Cell; Day; Protest 1; Arrest 1; Prison 3; Protest 2; Arrest 2; Black Friday; Protest 3; Prison 4; Dream; Prison 5; dialectical: palimpsest/palindrome/barlines; 1. palimpsest; a) noun; b) Adjective; 2. palindrome; 3. barlines; illuminatus 1- 26; Ophelia 1-13

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Book Synopsis"At the Edge of Night", a selection from four recent collections by Anise Koltz, brings the work of Luxembourg's best-known poet to the attention of the English-speaking literary world for the first time. Written in Koltz's prolific seventh decade, these brief poems - with their short, unpunctuated lines, clearly separated stanzas and powerful, direct language - are both personal and universal. This is not a gentle book. These poems pulse with anger, anger directed at the poet herself and her personal circumstances, and also at life, the world and God. Koltz originally wrote in German but switched to French which her translator, Anne-Marie Glasheen, believes gives her work some of its artistic power: this is poetry unlike any I have come across before. It feels utterly European - it speaks to the reader directly, jumping cultural barriers. It is poetry which is knife-sharp, clear and dazzling.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Note, Translator's Preface, Introduction. (i) From The Call of the Sparrow-Hawk / Le cri de l'epervier: Le cri de l'epervier / The Call of the Sparrow-hawk, Le paysage immobile / The Rigid Landscape, Lumiere glaciale / Icy Light, Pansements / Dressings, Commune origine / Common Origin, Le corbeau / The Crow, Sommeil blanc / Fretful Sleep, Mille enclumes / A Thousand Anvils, Bete de nuit / Night Animal, Outils de pierre / Stone Tools, Voyante / Clairvoyant, Le poete / The Poet, La moitie / Half, La terre / The Earth, La langue de nos peres / Our Fathers' Tongue, Qui ecrit ? / Who writes?, A ma mere / To My Mother, Automne / Autumn, A ma mere / To My Mother, Sans fin / Endless, La lune / The Moon, Distances / Distances, L'homme ne me couvre plus / The Man No Longer covers Me, Ne parle plus / Stop talking, Les crimes de ce siecle / This Century's Crimes, Trahison / Betrayal (ii) From Shadow-bearer / Le porteur d'ombre: Prologue / Prologue, J'avance sans filetA" / I advance without a netA", Desert / Desert, Le chemin monteA" / The path leads upA", Je dedie ce poemeA" / I dedicate this poemA", La maison de mon pereA" / My father's houseA", La guerre a eclateA" / War has broken outA", Dans les vitrines des magasinsA" / In shop windowsA", Courez dit-ilA" Run he saidA", Sur une mappe mondeA" / On a map of the worldA", Dans le fleuveA" / In the riverA", Meme si j'habiteA" / Though I liveA", Ocean je suis les humeursA" / Ocean I follow the moodsA", Mon pere m'a transmisA" / My father handed meA", Mon frere plongeur sous-marinA" / My deep-sea diving brotherA", Sable / Sand, Ciel / Sky, Vent / Wind, J'ai peur du livreA" / I'm afraid of the bookA", Dans ce mondeA" / In this worldA", Tu voudrais connaitreA" / You would knowA", Mes poemesA" / My poemsA", Je me debatsA" / I struggleA", Chaleur / Heat. Froid / Cold, Entre chien et loup / At Dusk: Between Dog and Wolf (iii)From Fire-eater / L'avaleur de feu: Il est parti / He leftA", Il n'y a pas de routeA" / There is no roadA", Tu es celuiA" / You are the oneA", Lorsque mon amourA" / When my loveA", Depuis toujoursA" / All my lifeA", Ma memoire est lourdeA" / My memory is heavyA", La lune a empoisonne mes livresA" / The moon has poisoned my books , Je me decline - A" / I fadeA", Dans les abattoirs de l'egliseA" / In the abattoirs of the churchA", Je cherche un baptistereA" / I'm searching for a baptisteryA", Aucune de nos complaintesA" / None of our lamentsA", L'ange dechuA" / The fallen angelA", Le septieme jourA" / On the seventh dayA", A mon reveilA" / When I wake upA", Tire par des chiensA" / Drawn by dogs - A", La nuitA" / At nightA", Maintenant que je suis habitueeA" / Now I am grown used, Je partiraiA" / I shall leaveA", Chaque nuitA" / Every nightA". Mon absenceA" / My absenceA", Apres le passageA" / After the passingA" Combien de foisA" / How many timesA", A ma naissanceA" / At my birthA", L'enfant devoreA" / The child devoursA", Je suis l'erreur fataleA" / I am my father's fatal errorA", Il ne faut pas chercherA" / Do not seek - A" (iv) rom Blessed be the Serpent / Beni soit le Serpent; Ne me retiens pasA" / Don't hold me backA", Ma mereA" / My motherA", J'ai eu des centaines de meresA" / I had hundreds of mothers - ", Mes pieds sans racinesA" / My rootless feetA", Etranger je demeureA" / Foreigner I remainA", Sous ma peauA" / Under my skinA", Sur le corps de ma mereA" / On my mother's bodyA", OA' que j'ailleA" / Wherever I goA", Il Satiro danzante / Il Satiro danzante, Pendant la nuitA" / During the nightA", La lune vient se reposerA" / The moon comes and settlesA", L'immensite de la merA" / The vastness of the seaA", Le soleil tend des filetsA" / The sun sets a trapA", Mes mots sont habitues a laguerreA" / My words are grown used to warA", Il n'y a pas d'espoirA" / There is no hopeA", La vie dependA" / Life dependsA", Par l'ecritureA" / Through writingA", L'ecritureA" / WritingA", Mon poemeA" / My poemA", Lorsque les parolesA" / When wordsA", Depuis 76 ansA" / For 76 yearsA", Je deracine des etoilesA" / I uproot starsA", Tes pas ont inventeA" / Yours steps inventedA", Nous parlons des langues differentesA" / We speak different languagesA", Beni soit le serpentA" / Blessed be the serpentA", Apres avoir verrouilleA" / Having bolted upA". Biographical Notes.

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Book SynopsisIvana Milankov is one of Serbia's best-known poets whose poems question themselves as much as they question the world around them. Distances in space and time are reduced to the size of a line break as the poet searches for meaning in experience; despite this, however, it is a surprisingly transparent poetry, where a world is created in each poem, holding our attention through an underlying drama of reason and feeling. Milankov's poetry allows us to glimpse a modernism that draws part of its reference from the presence of the Roman Empire and surrounding ancient civilisations of the Middle East. In this outstanding translation by Zorica Petrovic and James Sutherland-Smith, we are dazzled by an imagery whose structure and development confounds our expectations.Table of ContentsIntroduction / 8, Hadrian, to a Likeness, Hidden / 15, An Extra Dimension / 17, Commands / 19, Exodus / 21, A Letter to the Provincial Governor / 23, Letters from Persia / 25, To an Unknown Nobleman / 27, The Tenth , I dare not say who that might be / 29, To John, in the Wilderness / 31, A Shadow Before my Body / 33, The Second Coming / 35, The Baltic Profile / 37, Visitor / 37, Noon in a Glass Bell / 39, A Glass Afternoon / 41, Glass Property / 43, Dinner with Fish and Mirrors / 45, Variation on a Theme / 47, Masquerade / 49, I Have Forebodings / 53, In the White Corners, while They Crucified Me / 55, No, it Wasn't Raining, Thus Spoke Cassandra / 57, Cassandra in a Garden with Orchids / 59, Requiem / 61, "My Cretan sisters" / 65, Arrival of the Twins / 67, To the Twin, the First Advice Not to Enter Twighlight And Plants / 69, The Tall Twin / 71, The Hallucinations of the God Hermes / 73, Maestro / 75, To One who is Leaving / 77, The World is Deep / 79, Somnambulist / 79, The Geography of Near Hope / 81, 36, the Richmond Bus / 83, Sorella Fiorentina / 87, Cleopatra, the Last Speech / 89, Call Me Atlantis / 91, In My Heart I Have the Spirit or How I Didn't Become Concrete / 93, Hadrian, to Sense and Form / 95, To a Geometry Teacher / 97, Paradise / 99, Biographical Notes / 101

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Book SynopsisThese poems are written from across Lev Loseff's life, contemplating his native Russia from both a literal and a figurative distance, while at the same time casting a sometimes jaundiced eye on the alien culture of America in which he spent the final years of his life. Loseff's poetry excels in complex imagery, rich literary allusion, and is abundant in formal experiment. Whether absorbed by the world of literature (particularly his fellow poets) or relating real-life experiences, Loseff conjures up a restless and frequently disturbing universe in this unusual collection. "His poetry is full of intellectual high-wire acts. Every poem is like a circus turn, under the big top and without a net. In poetry like this there is nothing either natural or unnatural, but only past-mastery." Alexandr GenisTrade Review"Smith's translations are a labour of love and skill, nowhere better seen than in the palindromic "Toilette" or the many instances of terza rima. Tonally and emotionally, they are perfectly pitched. Such formal and verbal precision reminds us, as does Smith himself in a smartly concise preface, that translation estranges us from the original. Linguistic and prosodic fidelity of the most scrupulous kind are estimable virtues, but the forms of poetry are also the forms of thought and emotion. Poets in the English and American traditions would hear their own thoughts and emotions according to a different music and different traditions. To read Lev Loseff in these brilliant translations is to come as close as possible to hearing Russian poetry in the English language, and that is no mean feat." Andrew Kahn, TLS May 2013Table of ContentsSeries Editor's note / 9 Translator's preface / 10 Introduction / 16 At the clinic / 25 The Talking Parrot The Flat / 27 An Excursion / 27 Kazan, July 1957 / 29 School No. 1 / 31 'Who Says Sheep are Different from Goats?' / 31 Joseph in 1965 / 33 Russian Depression / 35 In the Empty Room / 37 As I Said The Blood washed off - ' / 39 The New Abode / 39 Grounded Again / 43 In Memory of a Polar Explorer / 43 The See-through House / 45 The Funeral Parlour's abuzz / 45 S. D. / 47 Out of Bunin / 49 Fragment / 49 The Pier that disappeared / 51 'As you get on - ' / 53 'This city's alive, - ' / 55 Right Now / 55 June 1972 / 59 Dostoevsky's Handwriting / 61 The Reformer / 61 Afterword Afterword / 65 In Memory of Mikhail Krasilnikov / 79 'Me and the Old Lady' / 81 Heartbeat / 83 New Information concerning Carl and Clara Not / 83 Untitled / 85 Old Testament Autumn / 87 For O's Scrapbook / 87 Forgotten Villages / 89 Gentrification / 91 The Parisian Note / 93 Imitation / 95 Only Just / 95 Privy Councillor April 1950 / 101 Toilette / 101 Ledger Entry / 103 'December Dreams come 'in a Crazy Rush' / 105 Awakened by an Unexpected Silence' / 107 The Miraculous Raid Pronouns / 109 The Tram / 111 'I'm living in the States from boredom' / 113 'The splendid thing about these dreams' / 115 'Having traversed half my three score and ten' / 117 Sonnet / 121 The Extended Day - / 123 Grounded / 137 The Last Romance / 141 ' "And this one here is basil", he declared' / 143 Author's & Translator's Notes / 144 Biographical Notes / 151

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Book SynopsisKajal Ahmad was born in Kirkuk, Kurdistan, in 1967. A leading poet of her generation, she has published seven collections of poetry in Kurdish (Sorani) and her work has been translated into Norwegian, Swedish, German, French, Persian, Arabic and Turkish. She is fluent in Kurdish and Arabic.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis"Behold" is Nicki Jackowska's seventh book of poetry. The title poem vividly evokes the history of the Holocaust with precise particulars and mundane details. Her European consciousness and working-class English roots give her writing an extraordinary spectrum of awareness. Many of the poems are akin to dramatic monologues, moving from a Lewes garden party to characters in a Brighton Terrace and thence to Krakuw. John Berger writes of the collection that 'Its grief has penetrated its syntax, and when there's that kind of penetration - it changes the reader's breathing.'Trade ReviewJohn Berger writes of the collection that 'Its grief has penetrated its syntax, and when there's that kind of penetration - it changes the reader's breathing.' 'Nicki Jackowska combines her teeming psychic flora and fauna with hard outer experience in fascinating ways. She explores each with the other, makes beautiful fluid formations of the one as she develops submarine X-rays of the other. Her poems have a broad, deep focus through a language made up of antennae, sensors, aerials, nerve-tendrils and fronds - fluorescent and full of shifting reflections. They have the freshness of improvisations. They leave you with hard, often painful events, but go on breathing in their own tides, different every time you look at them.' Ted Hughes 'Nicki Jackowska's poems are - tough, gentle, wild, mysterious, magical and marvelous.' Adrian Mitchell

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