Iosif Aleksandrovič Brodskij Libros

Born in Leningrad in 1936, Aleksandr Kushner is one of the best of contemporary Russian poets. In both 1987 and 1988, Kushner was invited to the United States to recite his work in the company of his peers, John Ashbery and Derek Walcott. Writing in a society centered on social ritual and public involvement, Kushner has always celebrated the refuge of private life. His is often a sort of chamber poetry, contained and contemplative, offering unique combinations of the everyday and the mythical, of minute observation and philosophical speculation. Like Anna Akhmatova and Joseph Brodsky, Kushner is heir to the magnificent Petersburg tradition of Russian poetry: Leningrad, in both its modern and its historical visages, is a major subject as well as setting for Kushner's poems; and the forms of his verse, his use of rhyme and meter, are classical. This first selection in English of Kushner's work gathers more than sixty poems, from his debut collection of 1962 through the present, and traces the poet's development and range--which, when recording the experience of Kushner's generation, does not shy from the political.

On Grief and Reason is the second volume of Joseph Brodsky's essays, and the first to be published since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987. In addition to his Nobel lecture, the volume includes essays on the condition of exile, the nature of history, the art of reading, and the idea of the poet as an inveterate Don Giovanni, as well as a homage to Marcus Aurelius and an appraisal of the case of the double agent Kim Philby (the last two were selected for inclusion in the annual Best American Essays volume). The title essay is a consideration of the poetry of Robert Frost, and the book also includes a fond appreciation of Thomas Hardy, a "Letter to Horace", a close reading of Rilke's poem "Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes", and a memoir of Stephen Spender. Among the other essays are Mr. Brodsky's open letter to Czech President Vaclav Havel and his "immodest proposal" for the future of poetry, an address he delivered while serving as U.S. Poet Laureate.

Combining two books of verse that were first published in his native Russian, To Urania was Brodsky's third volume to appear in English. Published in 1988, the year after he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, this collection features pieces translated by the poet himself and others, as well as poems written originally in English. Auden once characterized Brodsky as "a traditionalist . . . interested in what lyric poets of all ages have been interested in . . . encounters with nature . . . reflections upon the human condition, death, and the meaning of existence." Reading the poems in To Urania--by turns cerebral, caustic, comic, and celebratory--we appreciate firsthand a great lyric poet's variety and achievement.

So Forth, Joseph Brodsky's first collection of poems since To Urania (1988), gathers together some four dozen of the Nobel laurete's peoms. Some have been translated by the author and other hands from his native Russian, and others were written in English.

"Nativity Poems" features a collection of Christmas poems by Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky, reflecting on themes of time, eternity, and love. Translated by six poets, this pocket-sized edition includes ten previously untranslated works, accompanied by Mikhail Lemkhin's winter photographs of St. Petersburg.

Three acclaimed poets delve into the myths and misunderstandings surrounding Robert Frost, offering fresh insights into his life and work. Through their unique perspectives, they challenge traditional narratives and illuminate the complexities of Frost's poetry, revealing the deeper themes and emotions that resonate within his verses. This exploration not only honors Frost's legacy but also invites readers to reconsider his impact on American literature.

Joseph Brodsky, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987, visited Venice many times, usually in winter. In 48 short chapters, Watermark provides an account of his experiences of the city.

Essayist and poet Joseph Brodsky was one of the most penetrating voices of the twentieth century. This prize-winning collection of his diverse essays includes uniquely powerful appreciations of great writers: on Dostoevsky and the development of Russian prose, on Auden and Akhmatova, Cavafy, Montale and Mandelstam. These are contrasted with his reflections on larger themes of tyranny and evil, and subtle evocations of his childhood in Leningrad. Brodsky's insightful appreciation of the intricacies of language, culture and identity connect these works, revealing his remarkable gifts as a prose writer.

Self-educated, intense, impulsive and unmoored, Joseph Brodsky emerged in mid-century Russia as a poetic virtuoso, recognized by such greats as Anna Akhmatova as their worthy heir. He was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1972. Together, the poems in this volume unfold the project that, as Brodsky saw it, the condition of exile presented- 'to set the next man - however theoretical he and his needs may be - a bit more free'. This edition includes poems translated by Derek Walcott, Richard Wilbur and Anthony Hecht, and poems written in English or translated by the author himself. It surveys Brodsky's tumultuous life and illustrious career, and presents many of the poems that secured his reputation as one of the century's major voices.

A poem about the discovery of America by all creatures, fish, birds, and humans, explores the possibilities that lie all around us still waiting to be discovered