Customer Reviews

Poems New and Collected: 1957-1997

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
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Szymborska has long been a favorite of mine. I have compared many different English translations of her poetry. The translators of this volume are by far the best. They make Szymborksa's poetry flow effortlessly, seamlessly. This is a a rare and wonderful poetry book.

The worst thing my Polish grandparents did was discourage their children from speaking Polish. Now, two generations removed from the language, I can only wonder at what Ms. Szymborska's astonishing work sounds like in her native tounge. The translators have done an admirable job of establishing a gentle sense of humor, a strong and steady voice in the English versions of these poems, which makes me long all the more to be able to read them in their original Polish.

Ms. Szymborska has that wonderful eastern European ability to show us that everything matters -- our words, our thoughts, our ancestors, our own mortality make us who we are, and who we are exists in an eternal Now. "Life, however long, is always short," she writes, "too short for anything to be added."

Perhaps the most moving of these works is "In Broad Daylight," a fantastic portrait of the poet Krzysztof Baczynski, killed at age 23 during the Warsaw Uprising, as an old man, vacationing in the mountains, sipping soup, readng the paper. Ms. Szymborska shows us how these simple acts, what she calls elsewhere "commonplace miracles," are precious. We who live have an obligation to see the miracle in our very exisitence, to savor and to succor life.

Szymborska deserves to be widely read. This volume is highly recommended.

Each of these poems is totally exactly within its own language. Szymborska is a very clear-cut poet -- straightforward, simple. Her quiet humor is exemplified in the beginning of her Nobel acceotance speech. "They say that the first sentence of any speech is always the hardest. Well, that one's behind me." After that, for the rest of this book, her poems are very concise & wonderfully thoughtful. Lucid. This is welcoming poetry.

Szymborska's poetry is simple and brilliant. Even in translation the language is eloquent and subtle. This Polish poet has seen many years and gently shares with us a wisdom that only time can bring. Her insights into human nature are at once piercing and tender. Her images dance and whirl before us: this is truly a living poetry. Szymborska seems to have sat in the corner of endless crowded and uncrowded rooms and she shares with us the intricacy of over 70 years of situations. A must for those who love poetry, and a volume to make those love poetry that have never kissed its lips before.

Wistawa Szymborska is a very intelligent poet. Her work is one of the best that I have ever read on. One of her poems is called, "The End and the Beginning." The part that touched me the most was stanza two; "someone has to shove the rubble to the roadsides so the carts loaded with corpses can get by." This little stanza holds so much feeling and information it can be overwhelming. Her poems are powerful in a way that she makes you feel like you are right there with her as she is writing this poem. She puts so much of herself into these poems and this is what makes them so wonderful to read. So I would like to think her for writing such wonderful poems for others to read.

Another testament to Szymborska skillful simplicity and amazing insight, this book can be placed at number 1 in the modern poetry list. She speaks with a tone both musical and mystical, going the vitally important extra step to view the world not only with wonder and compassion, but also with a unique creativity. As for the team of translators, they've done it again. For fans of "View With a Grain of Sand", this is a must-read.

The spread of topics that Szymborska covers is wider than many more well-known poets. They are timely, insightful views on moments from life rendered crystal-clear by her descriptive wording and witty comments. An excellent read!

Ms Szymborska is my favorite living poet. She has lived an extrordinary and difficult life, and has been paying attention. She speaks to the human condition with with and compassion. In short, she gets it.

In the book New and COlleceted by Szymborska there are many poems to which I can relate to, or that make statements about what the world is like today. One poem that I think makes a statement about the world today is "Hatered". I think that "Hatered" makes a statement about the world today because for one we are closer to war and there are still many forms of violence going on around the world today. I feel that if there was no violence the world would be a better place, but because of the violence there is hate in the world.
Lastly, I feel that Szymborska is not an advocate for violence, and that she, like most of us wants to do what she can do in order to prevent any form of violence from happening- she wants peace like most Americans do, and in times like we are going throguh now peace is something we strive for and are working on achieving.

"Hatred is a poem that I believe is a statement the world is making today, whether we like what it is saying or not. As our world is coming closer to a war, we are forced to think about hatred everyday and what it actually means. "Let's Face it: It knows how to make beauty. The splendid fire-glow in midnight skies. Magnificent bursting bombs in rosey dawns." Is hatred as beautiful as this passage from her poem reads? Isn't there another way to make beauty than to use hate?

Szymborska is a poet who does not hide behind her writings. She expresses herself and thoughts and is not afraid to do so. This certain poem of hate could be a bit risky to write, but it actually tells the truth. Hate is everywhere, even on the sports fields, with the fans and athletes themselves.

This book, Poems New and Collected, has many great themes such as love, war, perspective and existence. Everyone may not agree with her writings, but I am sure some sort of connection will be made. I know I felt a connection to her while reading her poems.