Description

A "delectable and profound" collection of Polish poetry from Nobel Prize–winner Szymborska (Booklist).

When Here was published in Poland, reviewers marveled, “How is it that she keeps getting better?”

These twenty-seven poems, as rendered by prize-winning translators Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak, are among her greatest ever. Whether writing about her teenage self, microscopic creatures, or the upsides to living on Earth, she remains a virtuoso of form, line, and thought in this masterful lyrical poetry collection.

From the title poem:

I can’t speak for elsewhere,
but here on Earth we’ve got a fair supply of everything.
Here we manufacture chairs and sorrows,
scissors, tenderness, transistors, violins, teacups, dams, and quips. . .

Like nowhere else, or almost nowhere,
you’re given your own torso here,
equipped with the accessories required
for adding your own children to the rest.
Not to mention arms, legs, and astonished head. Nobel Prize in Literature: Experience the wit, precision, and profound insight that made Wisława Szymborska a celebrated voice in world literature. Accessible & Profound: Find the extraordinary in the everyday, from thoughts on busy streets to the inner lives of microscopic creatures. Award-Winning Translation: Brought to life in English by the prize-winning team of Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak, who preserve the poet’s signature voice. Meditations on Life & Memory: Explore poems that tackle the big questions through small moments, from a chance encounter with a teenage self to the enduring power of memory.