Georg Trakl fue un poeta austriaco, considerado uno de los expresionistas austriacos más importantes. Sus primeras obras muestran la influencia del simbolismo, pero pronto desarrolló su propio estilo único. Trakl se hizo conocido por su poesía oscura e introspectiva, que a menudo aborda temas de muerte, decadencia y soledad. Su magistral uso de la imaginería y la musicalidad de sus versos le han asegurado un lugar entre las figuras clave de la poesía en lengua alemana del siglo XX.
«Oh el infierno del sueño; oscura calleja, pardo jardincillo. Suave suena en la tarde azul la figura del muerto. Verdes florecillas voltean en su redor y su rostro la ha abandonado. O se inclina pálido sobre la fría frente del criminal en lo oscuro del vestíbulo; adoración, púrpura llama de la voluptuosidad; moribundo se precipitó el durmiente sobre negras gradas en la oscuridad».
The work of poet Georg Trakl has been praised by many, including his contemporaries Rainer Maria Rilke and Else Lasker-Schüler, as well as his patron Ludwig Wittgenstein who famously wrote that while he did not truly understand Trakl’s poems, they had the tone of a ‘truly ingenious person’, which pleased him. This selection gathers Trakl’s early, middle and late words, none of it published in book form during his lifetime, ranging from his haunting prose pieces to his darkly beautiful poems documenting the first bloody weeks of the First World War on the Eastern Front. It also includes translations of unpublished poems and significant variants. Interpolated through this comprehensive and chronological selection is a biographical essay that provides more information about Trakl’s gifted and troubled life, especially as it relates to his poetry, as well as the necessary context of his relationship with his sister Grete, whose role as a muse to her brother remains controversial. Trakl’s life was mysterious and fascinating, as is his unmissable poetry in A Skeleton Plays Violin. --
Now back in print, the poems of Georg Trakl have been championed by Rilke, Bly, Wright, and Wittgenstein.
"Poems" is a translation of Georg Trakl's first verse collection, published in 1913, which quickly established him as a prominent figure in Austrian German Expressionism. His work garnered praise from contemporaries like Rainer Maria Rilke and Else Lasker-Schüler, and he received patronage from Ludwig Wittgenstein, who noted the pleasing "tone" of Trakl's poetry, despite not fully understanding it. This blend of pleasure and perplexity continues to characterize the reading of Trakl today, reflecting the ongoing interest in his work and its influence, particularly in translation. Various interpretations of Trakl's poetry have emerged, with each translation akin to scaling a "blue glass mountain" to uncover the "correct" understanding of his verses. This fresh translation marks the first volume in James Reidel's "Our Trakl," commemorating the centenary of Trakl's death in 1914 during World War I. Unlike previous collections, Reidel carefully curates the order and content to evoke a specific effect and musicality, honoring Trakl's artistic vision and his connection to two centuries. The second volume will feature Trakl's second book, "Sebastian Dreaming," with a third volume of poetry and prose to follow.
In an Abandoned Room is a new collection of poems by Georg Trakl.
Georg Trakl's poetry, marked by its unique voice, attracted a diverse audience, including influential philosophers like Heidegger and Wittgenstein, as well as notable writers such as Beckett, Rilke, and Walser. His work also resonated with composers Webern and Hindemith, highlighting its profound impact across various artistic disciplines. Trakl's brief life (1887-1914) and the depth of his expression continue to inspire admiration and analysis in literary and philosophical circles.
This bilingual edition presents the comprehensive verse of Austrian poet Georg Trakl, known for his intense originality and autumnal, melancholic tone. His work, admired by figures like Rilke and Wittgenstein, reflects the spiritual turmoil of pre-World War I Europe, marking a transition from impressionism to expressionism.
A new translation by acclaimed poet Will Stone of the visionary Austrian poet Georg Trakl In Georg Trakl's brief, tragic life he produced a body of work of intense visual power. Dense, imagistic and full of unnerving symbolism, his poems occupy a critical place in German Expressionism. Until his death on the Eastern Front in 1914, Trakl honed a singular poetic voice to express the horror he saw in the world around him, culminating in the starkly powerful war poems for which he is best known. This edition includes all of Trakl's major poems alongside a judicious selection of the best of his uncollected work, all rendered in vividly clear English by translator and poet Will Stone. With a biography, a critical introduction and a chronology of Trakl's life, this collection promises to reinvigorate interest in this under-appreciated poet.
Sebastian Dreaming comprises the second book in James Reidel's Our Trakl series. Published posthumously in the original German in 1915, this is the second and last collection prepared by Trakl himself. Indeed, the Austrian poet may have tied his own fate to it. During his last days in a military hospital, Trakl had politely requested proofs of Sebastian Dreaming from his publisher and waited a week before overdosing on cocaine. He had been told once before that the war, which drove him into madness, had indefinitely postponed his masterpiece. Now the wait is over for Trakl's book to appear separately and in English. Until now translations of the poems from this collection have appeared in selections and complete volumes. Reidel has chosen to present the book individually, as Trakl wanted his book experienced. To achieve this, a certain verisimilitude in these English renderings has been achieved--even omitting the German facing texts is at work here--for which the translator has gone to great lengths, with an eye for seeing Trakl in his time and place, not only as an early modern poet but one whose strange and intriguing language and setting came from another century and still haunt us in ours.
Will Stone's outstanding new translation, complete with contextualizing essays, promises to rekindle interest in the work of this seminal poet.