Another Republic: 17 European and South American Writers [Paperback]

Charles Simic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1989

First published in 1976, this astonishing anthology from two U.S. Poet Laureates, Charles Simic and Mark Strand, compiles a selection of the finest translated literature of the time, showcasing the then-little-known writers who had a profound influence on the current generation of poets.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem by Yehuda Amichai
My Mother Once Told Me by Yehuda Amichai
Out Of Three Or Four In A Room by Yehuda Amichai
A Pity. We Were Such A Good Invention by Yehuda Amichai
Rain On A Battlefield by Yehuda Amichai
Tourist by Yehuda Amichai
We Did It In Front Of The Mirror by Yehuda Amichai
The Dead In Frock Coats by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
The Dirty Hand by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
Don't Kill Yourself by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
The Elephant by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
Quadrille by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
Souvenir Of The Ancient World by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
Your Shoulders Hold Up The World by Carlos Drummond De Andrade
Aspen Tree by Paul Antschel
Chanson Of A Lady In The Shade by Paul Antschel
Corona by Paul Antschel
Fugue Of Death by Paul Antschel
Psalm by Paul Antschel
Shibboleth by Paul Antschel
Your Hand Full Of Hours by Paul Antschel
Cathedral 1941 by Johannes Bobrowski
Childhood by Johannes Bobrowski
Kaunas 1941 by Johannes Bobrowski
Latvian Songs by Johannes Bobrowski
North Russian Town by Johannes Bobrowski
The Spoor In The Sand by Johannes Bobrowski
To The Jewish Dealer A.s. by Johannes Bobrowski
Cities & Desire: 5 by Italo Calvino
Cities & Signs: 1 by Italo Calvino
Cities & Signs: 2 by Italo Calvino
Cities & Signs: 5 by Italo Calvino
Cities & The Dead: 3 by Italo Calvino
Cities & The Sky: 5 by Italo Calvino
Continuous Cities: 4 by Italo Calvino
Hidden Cities: 1 by Italo Calvino
Trading Cities: 1 by Italo Calvino
The Behavior Of Mirrors On Easter Island by Julio Cortazar
Instructions On How To Wind A Watch by Julio Cortazar
Instructions On Or Rather Examples Of How To Be Afraid by Julio Cortazar
The Lines Of The Hand by Julio Cortazar
Marvelous Pursuits by Julio Cortazar
Progress And Retrogression by Julio Cortazar
Theme For A Tapestry by Julio Cortazar
Asia by Jean Follain
The Barn Owl by Jean Follain
Black Meat by Jean Follain
Father And Daughter by Jean Follain
Housewives by Jean Follain
Signs by Jean Follain
Arion by Zbigniew Herbert
Episode In A Library by Zbigniew Herbert
Five Men by Zbigniew Herbert
A Halt by Zbigniew Herbert
Naked Town by Zbigniew Herbert
Rosy Ear by Zbigniew Herbert
The Seventh Angel by Zbigniew Herbert
Study Of The Object by Zbigniew Herbert
Wooden Die by Zbigniew Herbert
Cinderella by Miroslav Holub
The Fly by Miroslav Holub
Man Cursing The Sea by Miroslav Holub
Suffering by Miroslav Holub
Zito The Magician by Miroslav Holub
Birth by Henri Michaux
The Emanglom by Henri Michaux
The Emanglons, Sels. by Henri Michaux
I Am Writing To You From A Far-off Country by Henri Michaux
Icebergs by Henri Michaux
In The Land Of Magic, Sels. by Henri Michaux
Dedication by Czeslaw Milosz
Elegy For N.n. by Czeslaw Milosz
The Master by Czeslaw Milosz
Mittelbergheim by Czeslaw Milosz
A Poor Christian Looks At The Ghetto by Czeslaw Milosz
A Song On The End Of The World by Czeslaw Milosz
To Robinson Jeffers by Czeslaw Milosz
I Take Back Everything I've Said by Nicanor Parra
Journey Through Hell by Nicanor Parra
Litany Of The Little Bourgeois by Nicanor Parra
Madrigal by Nicanor Parra
Piano Solo by Nicanor Parra
The Pilgrim by Nicanor Parra
The Tablets by Nicanor Parra
The Tunnel by Nicanor Parra
The Viper by Nicanor Parra
Hurry by Octavio Paz
Letter To Two Strangers by Octavio Paz
Marvels Of The Will by Octavio Paz
Natural Being by Octavio Paz
Obsidian Butterfly by Octavio Paz
Old Poem by Octavio Paz
Vrindaban by Octavio Paz
I Am Tired by Fernando Antonio Nogueira Pessoa
If They Want Me To Be A Mystic, Fine. So I'm A Mystic by Fernando Antonio Nogueira Pessoa
Salutation To Walt Whitman by Fernando Antonio Nogueira Pessoa
Tobacco Shop by Fernando Antonio Nogueira Pessoa
The Horse by Francis Ponge
The Pebble by Francis Ponge
The Pleasures Of The Door by Francis Ponge
Water by Francis Ponge
The Craftsmen Of The Little Box by Vasko Popa
Echo Turned To Stone by Vasko Popa
The Enemies Of The Little Box by Vasko Popa
Forgetful Number by Vasko Popa
The Judges Of The Little Box by Vasko Popa
Last News About The Little Box by Vasko Popa
The Little Box by Vasko Popa
The Prisoners Of The Little Box by Vasko Popa
Proud Error by Vasko Popa
Prudent Triangle by Vasko Popa
The Stargazer's Legacy by Vasko Popa
The Tale About A Tale by Vasko Popa
The Tenants Of The Little Box by Vasko Popa
The Victims Of The Little Box by Vasko Popa
The Yawn Of Yawns by Vasko Popa
Alone With His Work by Yannis Ritsos
Beauty by Yannis Ritsos
Dusk by Yannis Ritsos
Final Hour by Yannis Ritsos
Insignificant Needs by Yannis Ritsos
Miniature by Yannis Ritsos
The Poet's Place by Yannis Ritsos
Putting Out The Lamp by Yannis Ritsos
Copyright© 1998 Roth Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved -- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (February 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880011912
• ISBN-13: 978-0880011914
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,133,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good, if inconsistent, cross-section., July 7, 2004

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Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Another Republic: 17 European and South American Writers (Paperback)

Charles Simic and Mark Strand, eds., Another Republic (Ecco Press, 1976)

Simic and Strand, long before being Pulitzer winner and Poet Laureate of the United States respectively, put together this fine anthology of European and South American poets, doing some of the translation work themselves and drawing most of the big names in poetic translation to work with them. The result is a fine, fine piece of work that, despite is present state of obscurity, deserves a great deal of attention.

As with most anthologies one is likely to find, the actual quality of the work therein is variable. Put beside such legendary greats as Czeslaw Milosz are lesser lights like Francis Ponge, whose stuff oftentimes reads more like stuff Pierre Reverdy left on the floor. But some of those lesser lights are very worth reading (Simic's quest to bring the work of Vasko Popa to the American people continues to this day, deservedly). The translations also vary in quality, but far more slightly; the lesser ones have a jarring word here, a transition that needs re-read there. The quality ranges from stellar to slightly-less-than-stellar.

Not all of the seventeen wordsmiths here (most are poets, but a few pieces are excerpts from novels, e.g. the section from Julio Cortazar) are folks whose work I will go well out of my way to find in the near future, but, again as always with anthologies, one can find a number of pearls amongst the swine. In this case, the number of pears is more than high enough to warrant seeking out this now-obscure book. *** ½