Contemporary East European Poetry: An Anthology

"This ambitious work has long been overdue....An excellent introduction to Slavic and East European poetry."--World Literature Today Providing a unique window into a poetic tradition little known and little understood in the West, Contemporary East European Poetry features one hundred and sixty poets from ten countries, with works translated from fifteen languages. Emery George, himself a distinguished poet and translator, brings together over five hundred poems, expertly rendered into beautiful English verse by an international group of translators, often working in collaboration with the original authors. Represented are poets from many walks of life, contrasting religious and political outlooks and, most important, poets who work in a wide variety of styles--from traditional forms to the most up-to-date experimental modes. Here are tightly woven Petrarchan sonnets and elegant dramatic monologues alongside the free verse and mathematical experiments of a new generation. In these pages readers will find Nobel laureates (Czeslaw Milosz, Jaroslav Seifert), major poets (Peter Huchel, Vasko Popa), translators of global stature (Michael Hamburger, Ewald Osers), as well as poets virtually unknown in the West. And new to this edition is the work of thirty-two young poets representing eight distinct cultures and a whole new view of life in the former Easter Bloc. Also included are informative introducions to all selections and biographical sketches of each poet. A gallery of poetic images, Contemporary East European Poetry is the only volume of this scope available. For lovers of poetry and literature interested in a rich tradition so long cut off from the world at large, this rich collection offers a wealth of insights and opportunities for discoveries. "Praiseworthy....Offers exciting glimpses of poetic worlds still to be fully mapped."--The Times Literary Supplement