New Poems

by Rozewicz, Tadeusz; Johnston, Bill

• ISBN13: 9780977857630
• ISBN10: 0977857638
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-04-09
• Publisher: Archipelago

Summary

"The startling juxtaposition of sensual and brutal histories, of human and animal flesh, of the experience of war and of writing is Rozewicz's great achievement throughout twenty volumes of poetry."- Guardian From the earliest days of his poetic career, Tadeusz Rozewicz found a unique, pared-down style that consciously avoided metaphor and sought a new, painfully clear voice in which to express the horrors of wartime experiences. His work was immediately recognized as new and vital in Polish poetry, and he came to be regarded as one of the most important writers of his generation. New Poems is a collection of Rozewicz's three latest volumes in their entirety: exit (1998), the professor's knife (2001), and gray zone (2002).

Author Biography

Polish poet Tadeusz Rózewicz (1921- ) is considered one of Europe's most innovative and important writers. Along with his contemporaries Czeslaw Milosz, Zbiegniew Herbert, and Wislawa Szymborska, he created the extraordinary phenomenon that was post-war Polish poetry. Lionized in his native country and beyond, since his debut in 1946 with Unease, he has published over twenty major collections of poetry. He is also one of the most important Polish playwrights of the 20th century. His poetry and plays continue to attract the highest critical acclaim in Poland; his numerous awards include the Nike Prize, Poland's most prestigious literary award, for his 1999 book Mother Departs.

Bill Johnston is the Chair of the Comparative Literature Department at Indiana University. His translations include Wies?aw My?liwski¢s Stone Upon Stone, and Magdalens Tulli¢s Dreams and Stones, Moving Parts, Flaw and In Red. His 2008 translation of Tadeusz Ró?ewicz¢s new poems won the inaugural Found in Translation Prize and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Poetry Award.

Table of Contents

The professor's knife	p. 3
Dawn day and night with a red rose	p. 28
Gateway	p. 31
Ghost ship	p. 34
The mystery of the poem	p. 36
Rain in Krakow	p. 40
Cobweb	p. 45
"On the road ..."	p. 48
Gray zone	p. 51
Regression in die Ursuppe	p. 55
I know nothing about you	p. 59
Oriole	p. 63
"And once again ...	p. 68
Alarm clock	p. 71
There's a monument	p. 74
"Master Jakob Bohme ..."	p. 78
Conversation with Herr Scardanelli	p. 80
The poet's other mystery	p. 82
The mystery of the poetry reading	p. 85
Too bad	p. 88
Done in	p. 90
The philosopher's secret	p. 92
Additional uses for books	p. 95
Why do I write?	p. 97
21 March 2001 - World Poetry Day	p. 98
Poet in Applesauce	p. 102
Him too	p. 104
A cold in China	p. 106
Bad music no the spilling of blood	p. 112
Escape of the two little piggies	p. 114
The weeping superpower	p. 116
Building the tower of bauble	p. 121
"White isn't sad ..."	p. 127
Philosopher's stone	p. 128
Words	p. 129
Landslide	p. 131
My old guardian angel	p. 132
Golden thoughts against a black background	p. 135
A la Wyspianski	p. 137
Such is the master	p. 138
Fairy tale	p. 140
"Dostoevsky said ..."	p. 142
Finger to the lips	p. 143
The last conversation	p. 144
"Ever since the 'little' ..."	p. 145
Heart in mouth	p. 147
Poor Stachura the poet	p. 149
Labyrinths	p. 151
Ashurbanipal killing a wounded lion	p. 153
Eternal return ...	p. 155
Philosophers	p. 159
What Aquinas saw	p. 160
Learning to walk	p. 163
Der Zauberer the magician	p. 169
Luxury	p. 173
July 14 2004 - in the night	p. 175
Before an unknown woman	p. 177
In a guesthouse	p. 179
Letter in green ink	p. 182
Tempus fugit	p. 185
Knowledge	p. 198
Searching for keys	p. 199
Conversation between father and son about killing time	p. 201
We're building bridges	p. 207
You can't scare me	p. 209
I rub my eyes	p. 213
Mini universe	p. 218
The wheels are going round	p. 223
Speech conversation dialogue	p. 226
Three erotics	p. 227
"I was born a rhinoceros ..."	p. 228
Rhinoceros	p. 230
Embarrassment	p. 234
Poetry graveyard	p. 238
So what if it's a dream	p. 241
Farewell to Raskolnikov	p. 246
Depressions II	p. 250
Depressions VII	p. 251
The gates of death	p. 252
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.