Customer Reviews

Twentieth-Century German Poetry: An Anthology

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Michael Hofmann offers us a view of what is perhaps the most modern of all major contemporary poetries. Begining with Rilke he offers intellegent selections of the modern classics Trakl, Benn, Brecht and then provdes intreging selections of the generally less well known post war poets such as Huchel, Bobrowski, Eich and Bachmann. Of the two most famous poets of the fifties Celan and Enzensburger the first gets a sensible selection of early poetry while the latter recives a large and to me puzzling selection completely ignoring his beautiful collection Blindescrift and concentrating on rather trivial later poems. Many younger poets are represented though none seem to have voices as distinctive as their elders. All in all it is a fine introduction to one of the great bodies of modern poetry though I do not understand why the very fine poet Horst Bienek is excluded when a number of lesser talents are included. Well worth checking out.

I bought this from the UK because the edition published here doesn't include the poems in German. When I was in the US I discovered this edition in a bookshop and ordered another one for a Christmas present for someone else. Both of us are very pleased to have the book. Michael Hoffman is a first rate poet himself and a very good translator.