Bells In Winter [Paperback]

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 1999

A selection of insightful and moving poems examines self, history, and the human character through the expression and translation of personal as well as historical experience. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The poet's entire effort is directedtoward a confrontation with experience-and not with personal experience alone,but with history in all its paradoxical horrorand wonder .... The translations in Bells in Winterreveal a voice that is unadorned and discursive,yet capable of powerful (and delicate)poetic effects; it is a voice that works throughtraditional forms to transform andrevivify tradition .... Few other living poetshave argued as convincingly for thenobility and value of the poet's calling." -- New York Times Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 71 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (July 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880014563
• ISBN-13: 978-0880014564
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,245,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and indestructible poetry, February 10, 2000

By 

Jim Kibble - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bells In Winter (Paperback)

Like just a handful of poets (Yeats comes instantly to mind), Czeslaw Milosz has surrendered none of his artistic powers to old age. Yet the poems collected here, which date back as far as 1936, indicate that the future Nobelist was playing at the top of his game from the beginning. The shorter lyrics, like "Ars Poetica?", are true marvels. And while the longer sequences can be a touch uneven, devolving into prose-like paragraphs, they remain object lessons for any poet in any language--and any intelligent reader.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Milosz as Andersen's Mermaid, March 22, 2000

By 

Jesse Airaudi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bells In Winter (Paperback)

In Bells in Winter, Milosz tells us he doesn't quite fit into our age with its 'chess games' of 'killing for the common good,' that 'like the mermaid from Andersen's tale, I tried to walk correctly but a thin pain reminded me that I was foolish to try to imitate people.' No other book connects Milosz's essays about the pain of living in our Blakean 'Land of Ulro' to his poetry as well as this, with its shocking poetic insights into how humans got themselves into this mess, often given in a single swift, double-edged metaphor, as in the Notes section: 'The tempter in the garden: A still-looking branch, both cold and living.' A ton of philosophy, sorrow, and hope in a crafty little phrase -- the quintessential Milosz.