The Collected Poems: 1956-1998

A new translation of poetic works by the Polish Nobel Prize candidateincludes pieces from his entire body of work, from String of Light toEpilogue of the Storm, in a volume that offers insight into hisperspectives on such topics as imagination, art, and exile. Reprint.A newtranslation of poetic works by the Polish Nobel Prize candidate includespieces from his entire body of work, from String of Light to Epilogue ofthe Storm, in a volume that offers insight into his perspectives on suchtopics as imagination, art, and exile. Reprint. Czeslaw Milosz Because Milosz's father was a civil engineer whose skills were in highdemand, the family relocated often before settling finally in Wilno, wherehistory--the enduring theme of Milosz's oeuvre-- was, as he put it in hisNobel Lecture, "fixed in every stone." Milosz remained in Wilno to attendthe University there, publishing his first poems in the undergraduatejournal. In 1931 he joined with like-minded poets in the formation of aliterary group called Zagary, which was characterized by the shared senseof foreboding that was manifest in their work; the group thus came to bereferred to as the "catastrophists." Milosz traveled to Paris at this timeand encountered his uncle Oscar Milosz, a metaphysical poet and a dignitaryrepresenting independent Lithuanian interests at the League of Nations, whobecame a major literary and philosophic influence on Czeslaw Milosz's work.When he returned to Wilno he was employed by Polish Radio, but was soontransferred to Warsaw, where he could be more readily supervised when itbecame known by the government that he was hiring Jews. The looming senseof catastrophe that was anticipated by Milosz's early poetry was finallyconfirmed in 1939 when the Nazis took Poland. Meanwhile, in the midst ofworld chaos Milosz did two important things: he got married, and hetranslated Eliot's THE WASTE LAND into Polish. A leftist, Milosz wrote forthe underground in opposition to the German invasion. This esteemed him inthe eyes of the Communists, and when they became dominant, he was hired bythe party. In 1946 he went to the United States as an attach? of the Polishembassy. During this three-year period he became increasingly disillusionedwith the Soviet regime. When, upon his return, his sentiments became known,his passport was confiscated. With the help of a friend he was able toacquire clearance to travel to Paris, where he successfully defected.However, his disillusion with Communism was at odds with the ardor ofParisians for the movement, and he was not embraced by the Parisianintelligencia. Milosz would have preferred to return to the United States,but the government there was highly suspicious of his former Communistinvolvement; finally, in 1960, the University of California at Berkeleyhired him as lecturer. As a figure in world poetry, Milosz remained ashadow. He continued to write in Polish, but his work was absolutely bannedin his native land. However, he was something of a hero to young Polishwriters there, many of whom were imprisoned for publishing his work insamizdat venues. He was slowly becoming the voice of the Polish people,albeit a hushed one, and the world began listening. When the power of hiswork was finally realized, it was realized in spades: he won the NobelPrize in 1980. A humble professor who was barely recognized in hiscommunity, he taught his classes on the day he received the 3 A.M. callfrom Stockholm.