One of the most gifted poets of our time, Adam Zagajewski is a contemporary classic. Few writers in poetry or prose have attained the lucid intelligence and limpid economy of style that are the trademarks of his work. His wry humor, gentle skepticism, and perpetual sense of history's dark possibilities have earned him a devoted international following. This collection, gracefully translated by Clare Cavanagh, finds the poet returning to the themes that have defined his career—moving medita...

A stunning new collection from Poland's leading poetGive me back my childhood,republic of loquacious sparrows,measureless thickets of nettlesand the timid wood owl's nightly sobs.One of the most vibrant voices of our time, Adam Zagajewski is a modern master of the poetic form. In Asymmetry, his first collection of poems in five years, he revisits the themes that have long concerned him: the end...

A stunning, intimate collection by the late great Polish poet Adam Zagajewski.. . . I think I sought wisdom(without resignation) in poemsand also a certain calm madness.I found, much later, a moment's joyand melancholy's dark contentment.In True Life, the Polish writer Adam Zagajewski, one of the world's most admired and beloved poets, turns his gaze to the past with piercing clarity and a tone of wry, lyrical mel...

A new essay collection by the noted Polish poetFor Adam Zagajewski—one of Poland's great poets—the project of writing, whether it be poetry or prose, is an occasion to advance what David Wojahn has characterized as his "restless and quizzical quest for self-knowledge." Slight Exaggeration is an autobiographical portrait of the poet, arranged not chronologically but with that same luminous quality that distinguishes Zagajewski's spellbinding poetry—an affini...

"Engagingly warm and witty blend of literary comment and memoir," fourteen essays from one of Poland's most prominent contemporary poets ( Publishers Weekly ).Ardor, inspiration, the soul, the sublime: Such terms have long since fallen from favor among critics and artists alike. In this collection of essays, Adam Zagajewski continues his efforts to reclaim for art not just the terms but the scanted spiritual dimension of m...

The highway became the Red Sea.We moved through the storm like a sheer valley.You drove; I looked at you with love.—from "Storm"One of the most gifted and readable poets of his time, Adam Zagajewski is proving to be a contemporary classic. Few writers in either poetry or prose can be said to have attained the lucid intelligence and limpid economy of style that have become a matter of course with Zagajewski. It...