People on a Bridge: Poems [Paperback]

Wislawa Szymborska (Author), Adam Czerniawski (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Polish (translation)
Original Language: Polish

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Forest Books; First Edition edition (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0948259701
• ISBN-13: 978-0948259708
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,111,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Slavic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Lost in Translation, December 15, 2006

By 

Sylviastel - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: People on a Bridge: Poems (Paperback)

Wislawa Szymborska was barely known to the rest of the world until 1996 when it was announced that she was bestowed the Nobel Prize for Literature by the Swedish Academy. Anyway, Wislawa's poetry is quite charming. It's not difficult to read. In fact, it's easy to read and she makes poetry look too easy to write. Poetry is the hardest of all genres in literature. I am a writer who does not care too much for poetry because it's not my cup of tea but she wins me over with her style. She makes it easy to read but I bet it's not easy. Her poetry is about quality and not quantity. Sure there are other poets who deserved the Nobel Prize for literature but Wislawa was a surprise and a delightful one. It hasn't changed her a bit. She still lives in the same 3 room flat in Cracow where she has lived most of her life. We don't even have an autobiography or biography about her. Even now, she has maintained her privacy and rarely ventures into the spotlight. As an aspiring writer myself, I hope I can maintain the same humbleness as Wislawa. She is my heroine of literature. I was lucky to get this book when it came out after Wislawa's honor. I am surprised that it is no longer readily available. Even with translation, the meaning of her poetry is not lost on us especially with people on a bridge.