Joseph Brodsky
Reviewed by: Michael Sympson michaelsympson@prodigy.net Date: 3 September 2001
Lately I haven’t paid much attention to American Poetry. Provincial minds who spill their prosy guts over America's kitchen sink or worse and who belong into one of Ophra's spirituality binges. So it completely slipped me by, that the US had a Russian as poet laureate; the name was not familiar.
Then I found his collected poems. Critics point to howlers in the translation, especially if committed by the author himself: it is true, there is space for improvement. But to blame it on the justified demand that translations of poetry have to be faithful to content and structure, rather points to inhibitions in the critic’s judgement. As for me: I found at long last another poet of stature and rank. And yes he deserves a better presentation. (It can be done!)
I became interested in his biography - born 1940 ... and then it hit me: he is already dead. And I felt sad, as if I had missed the arrival of a long lost relative.
What do you think about this book?
Write a review and give your opinion and analysis!