In Praise of the Unfinished: Selected Poems

A friend sends me occasional poems that probably come from one or more "poem of the day" sites. Everything to Measure was from this book. The bit on the book's page here has another that sounded perfectly lovely. So I got it. And have been enjoying it for the last couple of days. Not everything, of course, but a lot.

This volume finally introduces the work of Julia Hartwig to English-language readers. She has been celebrated in Europe as one of the premiere poets of our time, but because her work has not been translated, she has remained virtually unknown in the English-speaking world. She will not be unknown any longer. This poet is recommended for anyone who is interested in serious poetry being written today. For those who are curious to see the original Polish text, if only to compare how the poems look on the page, there is a bilingual book with facing-page translations of the Polish originals published by Wydawnictwo Literackie, a major Polish press. You can probably order it if you wish. Both volumes are beautifully printed--they are made to last, and to be read again and again. You will not regret investing in a book of Hartwig's poems. After her fame in the U.S. becomes equal to her fame in Europe, you will be able to say that you read her before her star rose to its full height.

Julia Hartwig is one of the premier European poets of the 20th century. Her life, which spans from the time between the World Wars to the current time in Poland, is echoed in what she has written. Her poetry includes poems about nature and it's calmness, war and its price in lives both victims and survivors, translating English poetry into other languages, art and artists, the time of Russian dominance, visiting other places in the world including Italy and the United States, and a poem about the World Trade Center. Do not miss this book. Some poet's poem books are made up of good, bad and lukewarm poems. Not Ms. Hartwig, all the poems are from good to excellent. Bogdana Carpeneter and John Carpenter were the translators of this book and did an excellent job.