The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry [Paperback]

Ilya Kaminsky (Editor), Susan Harris (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: March 2, 2010

“From canonical modernists like Valéry, Vallejo, and Pasternak to younger poets of today, the Ecco Anthology collects an amazing spectrum of poetic voices from around the world.”
—John Ashbery

 

Edited by Ilya Kaminsky and Susan Harris of Words Without Borders, The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry offers a selection of the finest international poetry from the 20th century in the best English translations available. Providing in many cases the first and only English language translations of acclaimed poets from the world over, The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry is a unique treasure and resource which Gregory Orr proclaims, “a stunning, indispensable anthology” and Edward Hirsch calls, “a modern book of wonders.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An incomparable collection of poets whose work has bever been fully available in English....The reader is given a sense of the entire twentieth century. Kaminsky and Harris have done a first-rate job of bringing a literal world of poets together.” (Ploughshares )

“The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry is essential reading.....There’s no shortage of marvelous new voices to discover. Spanning generations, cultures and countries, this is truly a landmark publication-and it’s a good gift for the poetry lover in your life, even if that person is you.” (Newsday )

“In this highly readable anthology, Kaminsky, one of his generation’s finest poets, and Harris, the editorial director of Words Without Borders, aim to expand literary citizenship -- and succeed elegantly.” (The Barnes & Noble Review )

“I suspect there are not many collections (if any) like The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry. Gathered within its pages are some of the finest poems from around the planet written in the 20th century.” (The Morning News )

“From canonical modernists like Valéry, Vallejo and Pasternak to younger poets of today, the Ecco Anthology collects an amazing spectrum of poetic voices from around the world in gifted translations, often by other well-known poets. It becomes immediately indispensable.” (John Ashbery )

“It is a modern book of wonders, of airy correspondences and earthly dialogues, of faraway voices and unlikely global encounters, of borders magically crossed and deaths transfigured, of candles lighting each other, like souls. It is inexhaustible.” (Edward Hirsch )

“This brilliantly assembled gathering of world voices reads as a symphony of utterance beginning to end, an international conversation of the highest order, regarding the questions and concerns of humankind, beyond borders and all other such barriers, real or imagined.” (Carolyn Forché )

From the Back Cover

In this remarkable anthology, introduced and edited by Ilya Kaminsky and Susan Harris, poetic visions from the twentieth century will be reinforced and in many ways revised. Here, alongside renowned masters, are internationally celebrated poets who have rarely, if ever, been translated into English.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061583243
• ISBN-13: 978-0061583247
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odessa, former Soviet Union in 1977, and arrived in the United States in 1993, when his family was granted asylum by the American government. He is the author of Dancing In Odessa (Tupelo Press, 2004) which won the Whiting Writer's Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Metcalf Award, the Dorset Prize, the Ruth Lilly Fellowship given annually by Poetry magazine. In 2008, Kaminsky was awarded the Lannan Foundation's Literary Fellowship, and in 2009, poems from his manuscript, Deaf Republic, were awarded Poetry magazine's Levinson Prize. Currently, Kaminsky teaches Contemporary World Poetry, Creative Writing, and Literary Translation in the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing at San Diego State University.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Feast March 27, 2010

By John Michael Albert

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a feast. I've been hooked on anthologies since I discovered my father's '30s era hundred greatest poems of the English language. Powerful additions since then have included anthologies of world poetry in translation, war poetry, women's poetry, the Beats, slam poetry, urban animals and cars, children's poetry, high school readers from different eras... You get the point. To me, the most valuable thing about translations is that they get me out of the western and/or contemporary American mindset. The passions seem more intense and they're not shy about being political in their passion, which avoiding most of the shrillness or pathos that I think characterizes most American political poetry. I'm the first to admit that translation is impossible but also absolutely essential, so there are many caution signs that are givens whenever I might say "I love Rumi" or "I love Akhmatova." I don't read the language, I didn't live in that culture, I don't know what words are 'loaded' and which are merely brilliant poetic imagery, I don't know their contemporaries and what conversation is going on among them through their poetry... That being said, Kamisky and Harris's international anthology is a stimulating addition to my library. It starts with a poem by Tagore, first winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and goes through poets born in the 1980's and before. I am especially grateful for the latter--it's really discouraging to pick up a "modern" anthology and discover that the youngest poets were born in the first third of the 20th century. Not so here. We live in a vital poetic culture, as respectful of its past as it is eager to stare into the future and report back to us what it sees. These voices are well represented and stand proudly beside those of all the grey elders we grew up with. Thank you Ilya, thank you Susan, and thank you Ecco. This couldn't have been easy and I am deeply grateful for your efforts.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Anthology October 11, 2011

By Stratton

Format:Paperback

A great anthology. Well structured, with a wide variety of translators and selections from not only around the world, but from a variety of lesser known poets as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading and re-reading July 5, 2012

By slea

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

A large collection of poetry that presented me with old friends and new discoveries. It's a great collection, perfect for reading and revisiting and keeping finding new images, new sounds, new combinations. A very good choice for a summer companion, if you want to have a book that has a wide variety of experience to offer.