Poems New and Collected: 1957-1997

By Wisława Szymborska

Book Overview

Poems New and Collected: 1957-1997 is the definitive, complete collection of poetry by Nobel Prize-winning poet Wislawa Szymborska.

Described by Robert Hass as "unquestionably one of the great living European poets" and by Charles Simic as "one of the finest poets living today," Szymborska mesmerizes her readers with witty and philosophical poetry that captivates their minds and captures their hearts.

This is the book that her many fans have been anxiously awaiting, including 164 poems in all, as well as the full text of her Nobel acceptance speech of December 7, 1996, in Stockholm. Beautifully translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh, who won a 1996 PEN Translation Prize for their work, this landmark volume of Polish poetry in translation is a must-have for all readers of poetry.

This essential volume brings together:

The Complete Polish Poetry: 164 poems spanning four decades, from her breakthrough Calling Out to Yeti to her later works, showcasing her evolution as a singular voice in world literature.Nobel Prize-Winning Vision: The full text of her 1996 Nobel Lecture, "The Poet and the World," a profound and accessible meditation on poetry, inspiration, and the power of "I don't know."Award-Winning Translation: A masterful English translation by Stanislaw Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh, celebrated with the PEN Translation Prize for its fidelity and lyrical grace.Astonishment and Irony: Discover the signature blend of intellectual depth, playful wit, and profound wonder that led critics to call her one of the greatest poets of our time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156011468
• ISBN13: 9780156011464
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

clear

Each of these poems is totally exactly within its own language. Szymborska is a very clear-cut poet -- straightforward, simple. Her quiet humor is exemplified in the beginning of her Nobel acceotance speech. "They say that the first sentence of any speech is always the hardest. Well, that one's behind me." After that, for the rest of this book, her poems are very concise & wonderfully thoughtful. Lucid. This is welcoming poetry.

best poet

Wistawa Szymborska is a very intelligent poet. Her work is one of the best that I have ever read on. One of her poems is called, "The End and the Beginning." The part that touched me the most was stanza two; "someone has to shove the rubble to the roadsides so the carts loaded with corpses can get by." This little stanza holds so much feeling and information it can be overwhelming. Her poems are powerful in a way that she makes you feel like you are right there with her as she is writing this poem. She puts so much of herself into these poems and this is what makes them so wonderful to read. So I would like to think her for writing such wonderful poems for others to read.

The best translators of Szymborska, ever.

Szymborska has long been a favorite of mine. I have compared many different English translations of her poetry. The translators of this volume are by far the best. They make Szymborksa's poetry flow effortlessly, seamlessly. This is a a rare and wonderful poetry book.

Wonderful, even in translation

The worst thing my Polish grandparents did was discourage their children from speaking Polish. Now, two generations removed from the language, I can only wonder at what Ms. Szymborska's astonishing work sounds like in her native tounge. The translators have done an admirable job of establishing a gentle sense of humor, a strong and steady voice in the English versions of these poems, which makes me long all the more to be able to read them in their original Polish.Ms. Szymborska has that wonderful eastern European ability to show us that everything matters -- our words, our thoughts, our ancestors, our own mortality make us who we are, and who we are exists in an eternal Now. "Life, however long, is always short," she writes, "too short for anything to be added."Perhaps the most moving of these works is "In Broad Daylight," a fantastic portrait of the poet Krzysztof Baczynski, killed at age 23 during the Warsaw Uprising, as an old man, vacationing in the mountains, sipping soup, readng the paper. Ms. Szymborska shows us how these simple acts, what she calls elsewhere "commonplace miracles," are precious. We who live have an obligation to see the miracle in our very exisitence, to savor and to succor life.Szymborska deserves to be widely read. This volume is highly recommended.

Subtle, brilliant, ironic.

Szymborska's poetry is simple and brilliant. Even in translation the language is eloquent and subtle. This Polish poet has seen many years and gently shares with us a wisdom that only time can bring. Her insights into human nature are at once piercing and tender. Her images dance and whirl before us: this is truly a living poetry. Szymborska seems to have sat in the corner of endless crowded and uncrowded rooms and she shares with us the intricacy of over 70 years of situations. A must for those who love poetry, and a volume to make those love poetry that have never kissed its lips before.