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Second Space: New Poems – A Meditative Lyric on Aging, Mortality, and Faith
Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz's most recent collection Second Space marks a new stage in one of the great poetic pilgrimages of our time. Few poets have inhabited the land of old age as long or energetically as Milosz, for whom this territory holds both openings and closings, affirmations as well as losses. "Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year, / I felt a door opening in me and I entered / the clarity of early morning," he writes in "Late Ripeness." Elsewhere he laments the loss of his voracious vision -- "My wondrously quick eyes, you saw many things, / Lands and cities, islands and oceans" -- only to discover a new light that defies the limits of physical sight: "Without eyes, my gaze is fixed on one bright point, / That grows large and takes me in." Second Space is typically capacious in the range of voices, forms, and subjects it embraces. It moves seamlessly from dramatic monologues to theological treatises, from philosophy and history to epigrams, elegies, and metaphysical meditations. It is unified by Milosz's ongoing quest to find the bond linking the things of this world with the order of a "second space," shaped not by necessity, but grace. Second Space invites us to accompany a self-proclaimed "apprentice" on this extraordinary quest. In "Treatise on Theology," Milosz calls himself "a one day's master." He is, of course, far more than this. Second Space reveals an artist peerless both in his capacity to confront the world's suffering and in his eagerness to embrace its joys: "Sun. And sky. And in the sky white clouds. / Only now everything cried to him: Eurydice! / How will I live without you, my consoling one! / But there was a fragrant scent of herbs, the low humming of bees, / And he fell asleep with his cheek on the sun-warmed earth."
102 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2005
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About the author
Czesław Miłosz
312 books874 followersCzesław Miłosz was a Nobel Prize winning poet and author of Polish-Lithuanian heritage. He memorialised his Lithuanian childhood in a 1955 novel,
The Issa Valley
, and in the 1959 memoir
Native Realm
. After graduating from Sigismund Augustus Gymnasium in Vilnius, he studied law at Stefan Batory University and in 1931 he travelled to Paris, where he was influenced by his distant cousin Oscar Milosz, a French poet of Lithuanian descent and a Swedenborgian. His first volume of poetry was published in 1934.
After receiving his law degree that year, he again spent a year in Paris on a fellowship. Upon returning, he worked as a commentator at Radio Wilno, but was dismissed, an action described as stemming from either his leftist views or for views overly sympathetic to Lithuania. Miłosz wrote all his poetry, fiction, and essays in Polish and translated the Old Testament Psalms into Polish.
Awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature for being an author "who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts."
After receiving his law degree that year, he again spent a year in Paris on a fellowship. Upon returning, he worked as a commentator at Radio Wilno, but was dismissed, an action described as stemming from either his leftist views or for views overly sympathetic to Lithuania. Miłosz wrote all his poetry, fiction, and essays in Polish and translated the Old Testament Psalms into Polish.
Awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature for being an author "who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts."
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August 13, 2025
Milosz' Second Space
"Second Space" is a collection of thirty-two poems on religious themes by Czeslaw Milosz (1911 -- 2004) written when the poet was in his 90s. The poems are heavily autobiographical in tone, meditative, and reflective. They deal with Milosz' struggle for religious, and in particular Catholic, faith in a world of secularism, mechanism, and suffering. They also describe the conflict in Milosz' own life between the call to the religious life and the lure of the world, with its natural beauty, and human sexuality. Milosz tries to reconcile the tensions among these two polarities.
The book is dense and richly detailed with allusions to Polish poets, to Milosz' relatives, particularly to his cousin Oscar Milosz (1877-1939) a French poet and diplomat, and to the mystical thinkers Jacob Boehme and Emmanuel Swedenborg, who have deeply influenced Milosz and his approach to religious questions.
The book is divided into five parts. The first part consists of a series of short poems discussing the poet's struggle for religious meaning. In many of these poems, Milosz revisits and reflects upon his life. The title of the book "Second Space" derives from the first poem of the collection in which Milosz laments the difficulty of conceiving of a "second space" in our modern world -- the space of both heaven and hell. Milosz writes in a clear style with many striking figures and phrases. Thus, he concludes his poem, "The Old Women" with the benediction: "May the day of your death not be a day of hopelessness,/ but of trust in the light that shines through earthly forms."
The second part of the book is a series of eleven interior monologues by "Father Severinus," who describes himself in the first poem as "a priest without faith". In these poems, Father Severinus meditates on the importance, mystery, and difficulty of a spiritual life as he describes his own internal struggles and the struggles of some of the people who come to him for help.
The third part of the book is in Milosz' own voice and consists of 23 poems forming a "Treatise on Theology." These poems are in the voice of the layperson -- the poet himself -- rather than of Father Severinus, but the themes and preoccupations are the same. They are epitomized in the final poem of this group, "Beautiful Lady" in which Milosz describes his responses to the appearances of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes and Fatima.
The fourth part of the book, "Apprentice", is the poet's tribute to the work of his cousin, the French poet Oscar Milosz. This poem is richly personal and allusive, and Milosz accompanies it with extensive notes. I found it helpful to read the poem first with the notes followed by a reading straight through without the notes -- which tend to interfere with the text.
The book concludes with what to may mind is its best section, a brief retelling of the "Orpheus and Euridice" legend in modern garb with Milosz himself as the protagonist. Orpheus in this retelling struggles with the loss of religious conviction as much as with the loss of his beloved. There is an eloquent passage in this poem in which Milosz describes the goal of his poetic endeavor:
"He sang the brightness of morning and green rivers,
He sang of smoking water in the rose-colored daybreaks,
Of colors: cinnabar, carmine, burnt sienna, blue,
Of the delight of swimming in the sea under marble cliffs,
Of feasting on a terrace above the tumult of a fishing port,
Of the tastes of wine, olive oil, almonds, mustard, salt.
Of the flight of the swallow, the falcon,
Of a dignified flock of pelicans above a bay,
Of the scene of an armful of lilacs in summer rain,
Of his having composed his words always against death
And of having made no rhyme in praise of nothingness."
"Second Space" is a moving valedictory volume by a great Twentieth Century poet.
Robin Friedman
"Second Space" is a collection of thirty-two poems on religious themes by Czeslaw Milosz (1911 -- 2004) written when the poet was in his 90s. The poems are heavily autobiographical in tone, meditative, and reflective. They deal with Milosz' struggle for religious, and in particular Catholic, faith in a world of secularism, mechanism, and suffering. They also describe the conflict in Milosz' own life between the call to the religious life and the lure of the world, with its natural beauty, and human sexuality. Milosz tries to reconcile the tensions among these two polarities.
The book is dense and richly detailed with allusions to Polish poets, to Milosz' relatives, particularly to his cousin Oscar Milosz (1877-1939) a French poet and diplomat, and to the mystical thinkers Jacob Boehme and Emmanuel Swedenborg, who have deeply influenced Milosz and his approach to religious questions.
The book is divided into five parts. The first part consists of a series of short poems discussing the poet's struggle for religious meaning. In many of these poems, Milosz revisits and reflects upon his life. The title of the book "Second Space" derives from the first poem of the collection in which Milosz laments the difficulty of conceiving of a "second space" in our modern world -- the space of both heaven and hell. Milosz writes in a clear style with many striking figures and phrases. Thus, he concludes his poem, "The Old Women" with the benediction: "May the day of your death not be a day of hopelessness,/ but of trust in the light that shines through earthly forms."
The second part of the book is a series of eleven interior monologues by "Father Severinus," who describes himself in the first poem as "a priest without faith". In these poems, Father Severinus meditates on the importance, mystery, and difficulty of a spiritual life as he describes his own internal struggles and the struggles of some of the people who come to him for help.
The third part of the book is in Milosz' own voice and consists of 23 poems forming a "Treatise on Theology." These poems are in the voice of the layperson -- the poet himself -- rather than of Father Severinus, but the themes and preoccupations are the same. They are epitomized in the final poem of this group, "Beautiful Lady" in which Milosz describes his responses to the appearances of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes and Fatima.
The fourth part of the book, "Apprentice", is the poet's tribute to the work of his cousin, the French poet Oscar Milosz. This poem is richly personal and allusive, and Milosz accompanies it with extensive notes. I found it helpful to read the poem first with the notes followed by a reading straight through without the notes -- which tend to interfere with the text.
The book concludes with what to may mind is its best section, a brief retelling of the "Orpheus and Euridice" legend in modern garb with Milosz himself as the protagonist. Orpheus in this retelling struggles with the loss of religious conviction as much as with the loss of his beloved. There is an eloquent passage in this poem in which Milosz describes the goal of his poetic endeavor:
"He sang the brightness of morning and green rivers,
He sang of smoking water in the rose-colored daybreaks,
Of colors: cinnabar, carmine, burnt sienna, blue,
Of the delight of swimming in the sea under marble cliffs,
Of feasting on a terrace above the tumult of a fishing port,
Of the tastes of wine, olive oil, almonds, mustard, salt.
Of the flight of the swallow, the falcon,
Of a dignified flock of pelicans above a bay,
Of the scene of an armful of lilacs in summer rain,
Of his having composed his words always against death
And of having made no rhyme in praise of nothingness."
"Second Space" is a moving valedictory volume by a great Twentieth Century poet.
Robin Friedman
January 18, 2008
Admittedly, in this age of lowbrow, quick-fix culture, I forget how rich an experience reading poetry can be. Like much of today's visual art, contemporary poetry can be obtuse, exclusive, and too enamored of itself to connect with anyone and because of this be held up by the so-called champions of higher culture, whether they really like or understand it at all.
Milosz is one of the 20th century's master practitioners and this collection reinforces his standing as such. This series of poems, framed by the advanced age in which he wrote them, richly grapples with bodies that can no longer enact the passions that fill their hearts, with ambivalence towards religion and spirituality, with the tangled relationships of family, and, ultimately, what it means to be an artist and the sacrifices the role inevitably imposes. Most importantly, Milosz reminds us—-mercifully free of treacle and sentimentality--the gift of being human and alive, regardless of our roles in life.
Milosz is one of the 20th century's master practitioners and this collection reinforces his standing as such. This series of poems, framed by the advanced age in which he wrote them, richly grapples with bodies that can no longer enact the passions that fill their hearts, with ambivalence towards religion and spirituality, with the tangled relationships of family, and, ultimately, what it means to be an artist and the sacrifices the role inevitably imposes. Most importantly, Milosz reminds us—-mercifully free of treacle and sentimentality--the gift of being human and alive, regardless of our roles in life.
November 24, 2021
Phenomenal.
May 17, 2014
Meh. On one hand it's remarkable that Milosz was still writing at a high level so late in life (and several of these poems are quite good). But boy, there's a lot of prosey stuff that is, well, prose (and I'm flexible on that). The Robert Hass effect? There are also two long "poems" that eat up about half the book. And I didn't like them. Milosz is at his best when dealing with memory. He's kind of boring when he starts meditating on religion. I actually love religious poetry, but I also set a high bar. If it's boring, you're probably preaching and not reaching. "Classmate" was my favorite, but it's not available online.
January 30, 2023
Second Space is a collection of poems, primarily, about religion. I've read several books by Milosz and I've found that he has a struggle with religious belief. He seems to be aware of the improbable nature of religion but can't seem to accept the idea that it's not true. This book only furthers that impression. It's an excellent collection of poems of his struggle written later in his life.
April 8, 2020
My stay in that city was like a dream
And the dream lasted for years.
I was, in fact, not interested in anything
So long as I heard a voice dictating verses.
And in that way I invented a life,
And thus my destiny was being fulfilled.
Some people believed that I was theirs,
So they put trust in my disguises.
I reproach myself for that,
For I wanted to be different,
Trustworthy, brave, noble-minded.
Later on I would only say: why reach so high?
I am and will be lame,
Which is no one's concern.
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July 22, 2025I picked this up because it contains one of my favorite poems, “Late Ripeness,” and several other late Milosz poems which I have read and liked. These were the poems of a thinking man, representative of Milosz’s engagement with Christianity at a late point in life. I both admired them deeply, and felt like they were something of a warning sign against being tangled in the weeds of theology, especially within one particular tradition. Though there was some truly wonderful language and poetic storytelling, I left to read Rumi, wanting to let go of my head.
February 27, 2022
I didn't know anything about Miłosz but through this collection, I feel like I got a pretty decent idea of the poet he is. I didn't expect to like his religious work, but actually found it among the most interesting.
February 6, 2013
Subtitle: Meditations on God, Life, and Death; When Death is Near, What Do We Think About? I read this because The Issa Valley was my first encounter with Milosz, and I didn't know that he was mostly known as a poet, not as a novelist. I figured he had to be a poet because of the way he writes prose, but I didn't really think about it until I saw one of his poetry collections.
Most of these poems made an impression on me. I didn't read the book consistently; I like to read poetry out loud, so I only read it when I had time at home. Looking back through the book, most of the poems came to life again. There were very few that I didn't remember some detail from. Reading this book felt like sitting down with Milosz and listening to the accumulation of a lifetime of observations, interpretations, and compilations of data. It was almost as if he waited until this moment to pour out these thoughts, to make sure they were complete before he offered them to his readers. Milosz's humility, as evident by the fact that he still considers himself, a Nobel Prize winner, an "Apprentice," is touching because he has had a lifetime of recognized excellence in writing.
I really like the idea of the "Second Space," something that has been called into question more often than not over the last 100 years or so. But there are some of us who still believe that there is something more than this space, a place for the dead to dwell after death. This isn't all there is, and Milosz, as his poem "Eyes" indicates, dwells more and more in the second space as he contemplates its qualities and continues to disassociate with the world around him that he can no longer see. When one loses one's hearing, eyesight, and control over one's own body, isn't that one more connected to what comes next? It's a very interesting idea, and I gained insight from this book, along with the pleasure of reading Milosz's wonderful language.
Most of these poems made an impression on me. I didn't read the book consistently; I like to read poetry out loud, so I only read it when I had time at home. Looking back through the book, most of the poems came to life again. There were very few that I didn't remember some detail from. Reading this book felt like sitting down with Milosz and listening to the accumulation of a lifetime of observations, interpretations, and compilations of data. It was almost as if he waited until this moment to pour out these thoughts, to make sure they were complete before he offered them to his readers. Milosz's humility, as evident by the fact that he still considers himself, a Nobel Prize winner, an "Apprentice," is touching because he has had a lifetime of recognized excellence in writing.
I really like the idea of the "Second Space," something that has been called into question more often than not over the last 100 years or so. But there are some of us who still believe that there is something more than this space, a place for the dead to dwell after death. This isn't all there is, and Milosz, as his poem "Eyes" indicates, dwells more and more in the second space as he contemplates its qualities and continues to disassociate with the world around him that he can no longer see. When one loses one's hearing, eyesight, and control over one's own body, isn't that one more connected to what comes next? It's a very interesting idea, and I gained insight from this book, along with the pleasure of reading Milosz's wonderful language.
September 13, 2021
"Could I dare to confess to them... / That I pray every day for the grace of understanding, / Though there is in me only a hope of hope?" (37).
Milosz lost me a little nearing the end, but the finale was excellent. His approach to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the final poem through the frame of a lack of faith and the vocation of the artist was fascinating. These finds are rare, but I appreciate when collections such as this one can intellectually engage, artistically inspire, and also serve as spiritual edification. Milosz reflects on suffering and the course of his life with sage wisdom as a "chaplain of shadows" and also dares to wrestle with pressing questions of faith and doubt. Even his small phrases disarm, challenge, and enchant: "and love, which was in fact two lonelinesses" (20). Milosz leads the reader into prayer and contemplation: "Save me from the images of pain I have gathered wandering / on the earth, / Lead me where only Your light abides" (40).
As I was reading, I thought of Louise Glück ("At the end of my suffering / there was a door" vs. Milosz's "Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year, / I felt a door opening in me and I entered / the clarity of the early morning") and Simone Weil's thoughts on consolation and the "I." My favorite poems were Werki, On Old Women, I Should Now, Hear Me, and Coffer.
"And no water / Could wash away what was branded in our memories. / And something had to be done with it. / Something had to be done" (7).
Milosz lost me a little nearing the end, but the finale was excellent. His approach to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the final poem through the frame of a lack of faith and the vocation of the artist was fascinating. These finds are rare, but I appreciate when collections such as this one can intellectually engage, artistically inspire, and also serve as spiritual edification. Milosz reflects on suffering and the course of his life with sage wisdom as a "chaplain of shadows" and also dares to wrestle with pressing questions of faith and doubt. Even his small phrases disarm, challenge, and enchant: "and love, which was in fact two lonelinesses" (20). Milosz leads the reader into prayer and contemplation: "Save me from the images of pain I have gathered wandering / on the earth, / Lead me where only Your light abides" (40).
As I was reading, I thought of Louise Glück ("At the end of my suffering / there was a door" vs. Milosz's "Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year, / I felt a door opening in me and I entered / the clarity of the early morning") and Simone Weil's thoughts on consolation and the "I." My favorite poems were Werki, On Old Women, I Should Now, Hear Me, and Coffer.
"And no water / Could wash away what was branded in our memories. / And something had to be done with it. / Something had to be done" (7).
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May 9, 2025I have to say I prefer Anna Kamienska’s “Atonishments” to this collection. Not that there’s anything wrong with this work—I just really like Anna Kamienska.
His long form poems worked the best for me. They allowed development of thought on religion (Milosz was Catholic), through different lenses and moods. The shorter poems were hit or miss.
Standouts for me:
Werki
Guardian Angel
Father Severinus
His long form poems worked the best for me. They allowed development of thought on religion (Milosz was Catholic), through different lenses and moods. The shorter poems were hit or miss.
Standouts for me:
Werki
Guardian Angel
Father Severinus
October 13, 2024
Nudne jak flaki z olejem,przeczytałam, bo musiałam na studia
July 3, 2024
A life changing read that challenges the intellect. There is intensity, melancholy, strained hope, trauma, grief, and mindfulness in this collection. Written late in a extraordinary life, Second Space provides insights to western society, religion, and the self that few other poets have the ability to convey in such clear terms. Fascinating for both the fellow poet and poetry-layman.
April 27, 2007
really honest, insightful stuff from a genius at the end of his life. a book about what it means to be human, to strive for faith, to walk among other humans and pretend everything is ok.
September 5, 2025
Enjoyed the slyness of Advantage and A Stay, but particularly the refutation of other poets' fixation on death (which oddly he later seems to embrace in his own other poems):
"I think now that there is something indecent in this Dionysiac sweetness of dying..."
Classmate, a beautiful lamentation of a lost female childhood friend
Tenant, the strife between atheism and religion captured in one man
To Spite Nature, the anachronism between the tales of perfection and the messiness of ordinary life
I Should Now: "Memory composes a story of shames and amazements" !
Scientists, a well said takedown of Darwinism and Capitalism
I, comparing egoism to Adam's first use of the word, to suggest wonder and appreciation proceeded the Promethean thinking
Notebook, on the irreproducibility of what language strives to capture.
Many-Tiered Man, precursor to Dylan's "I contain multitudes"
Caravels- anticipates Interstellar, and intersects Mallarme's Toss of the Dice, also being about ships, metaphysics, Christianity
And If, the dream within a dream concerning Christianity
Dread, the ordinariness of man versus the sacrifice of Christ
I Am Not, debasing the value of "truth", seeming to at once prioritize elegant language and denigrate any aesthetic hinting of class or social stratification of ideas.
I Apologize, A man of faith struggling with his reason and a man of reason struggling with his faith.
A Burden, "Changed into a can of preserves which shows, when opened, a flickering film about an antique Poland"
In Vain, Another evisceration of Darwin's immorality.
I Always Liked, Maybe on the nature of poetry itself, or poetry of a kind of mystery, comparing it to religion, superstitions, and contrasting it against explorers who find their treasure.
Not out of Frivolty- Taking religious conclusions from the implication of the Big Bang
And so Eve, comparison of Eve to the Madonna with allusion to Boeme
It's no Wonder- Seems to connect Prometheus and Christ as two necessary forces that explain human existense/history...
Didn't enjoy Part IV because it was difficult to understand if I was reading poem's + biography, or one poem, if he was the writer, and several things immediately. Discovered through research it was a poetic tribute by Czesław Milosz to his cousin Oscar Milosz.
Orpheus and Eurydice- seems to be an interpretation of the myth that Eurydice was always gone, that Orpheus embodies life- that by making him agree to not look back, Hades had tricked Orpheus- for how can one have something if one is prohibited in seeing what they have? This all occurs in one line of the poem which otherwise is a summary of the myth.
"I think now that there is something indecent in this Dionysiac sweetness of dying..."
Classmate, a beautiful lamentation of a lost female childhood friend
Tenant, the strife between atheism and religion captured in one man
To Spite Nature, the anachronism between the tales of perfection and the messiness of ordinary life
I Should Now: "Memory composes a story of shames and amazements" !
Scientists, a well said takedown of Darwinism and Capitalism
I, comparing egoism to Adam's first use of the word, to suggest wonder and appreciation proceeded the Promethean thinking
Notebook, on the irreproducibility of what language strives to capture.
Many-Tiered Man, precursor to Dylan's "I contain multitudes"
Caravels- anticipates Interstellar, and intersects Mallarme's Toss of the Dice, also being about ships, metaphysics, Christianity
And If, the dream within a dream concerning Christianity
Dread, the ordinariness of man versus the sacrifice of Christ
I Am Not, debasing the value of "truth", seeming to at once prioritize elegant language and denigrate any aesthetic hinting of class or social stratification of ideas.
I Apologize, A man of faith struggling with his reason and a man of reason struggling with his faith.
A Burden, "Changed into a can of preserves which shows, when opened, a flickering film about an antique Poland"
In Vain, Another evisceration of Darwin's immorality.
I Always Liked, Maybe on the nature of poetry itself, or poetry of a kind of mystery, comparing it to religion, superstitions, and contrasting it against explorers who find their treasure.
Not out of Frivolty- Taking religious conclusions from the implication of the Big Bang
And so Eve, comparison of Eve to the Madonna with allusion to Boeme
It's no Wonder- Seems to connect Prometheus and Christ as two necessary forces that explain human existense/history...
Didn't enjoy Part IV because it was difficult to understand if I was reading poem's + biography, or one poem, if he was the writer, and several things immediately. Discovered through research it was a poetic tribute by Czesław Milosz to his cousin Oscar Milosz.
Orpheus and Eurydice- seems to be an interpretation of the myth that Eurydice was always gone, that Orpheus embodies life- that by making him agree to not look back, Hades had tricked Orpheus- for how can one have something if one is prohibited in seeing what they have? This all occurs in one line of the poem which otherwise is a summary of the myth.
April 5, 2021
I’m brand new to reading modern/contemporary poetry, so I have no right to judge whether this is well done or not. I’ll just share my favorite poem from the book...
HEAR ME
Hear me, Lord, for I am a sinner, which means I have nothing except prayer.
Protect me from the day of dryness and impotence.
When neither a swallow’s flight nor peonies, daffodils and irises in the flower market are a sign of Your glory.
When I will be surrounded by scoffers and unable, against their arguments, to remember any miracle of Yours.
When I will seem to myself an imposter and swindler because I take part in religious rites.
When I will accuse You of establishing the universal law of death.
When I am ready at last to bow down to nothingness and call life on earth a devil’s vaudeville.
HEAR ME
Hear me, Lord, for I am a sinner, which means I have nothing except prayer.
Protect me from the day of dryness and impotence.
When neither a swallow’s flight nor peonies, daffodils and irises in the flower market are a sign of Your glory.
When I will be surrounded by scoffers and unable, against their arguments, to remember any miracle of Yours.
When I will seem to myself an imposter and swindler because I take part in religious rites.
When I will accuse You of establishing the universal law of death.
When I am ready at last to bow down to nothingness and call life on earth a devil’s vaudeville.
January 28, 2020
I first took this poetry collection out from the library because of my curiousity and regard for Milosz and his persevering faith in spite of all he has witnessed, living in WWII Poland. The first two parts of this book I truly enjoyed: his voice, his wisdom and insights. However, the last several parts of this collection were too complex for me, with names and places and references that had to be explained in extended footnotes. So I ended up skimming the last half of the book. Still, I’m grateful to have read the first part of this collection, and to hear this important voice.
August 18, 2017
Theology and philosophy. This was a heavy read by a man in the twilight of his life. I most liked the first poem, Second Space, but found I just couldn’t connect with most of the rest of the book. I found it incredibly depressing and, if I hadn’t picked this up as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge, I would have set it aside. Not my cup of tea.
October 26, 2018
O!
EDWARD HOPPER (1882-1967),
HOTELSKA SOBA
THYSSEN COLLECTION, LUGANO
O, kakva tuga, nesvjesna da je tuga!
Kakav očaj, nesvjestan da je očaj!
Žena od karijere, pokraj nje koferi, sjedi na
krevetu, polunaga, u crvenom kombineu, očešljana
besprijekorno, u ruci joj listić s brojevima.
Tko si? - nitko ne upita, a ni ona sama ne zna.
EDWARD HOPPER (1882-1967),
HOTELSKA SOBA
THYSSEN COLLECTION, LUGANO
O, kakva tuga, nesvjesna da je tuga!
Kakav očaj, nesvjestan da je očaj!
Žena od karijere, pokraj nje koferi, sjedi na
krevetu, polunaga, u crvenom kombineu, očešljana
besprijekorno, u ruci joj listić s brojevima.
Tko si? - nitko ne upita, a ni ona sama ne zna.
October 12, 2025
My Nobel marathon lead me to this extraordinary poem collection. I feel like Milosz and I are kindred spirits in a way. The way his poetry flows and the imagery and rhythm form it, it flows naturally and vividly and it just resonates with me efortlessly. I just love it. Indeed a great and true poet of life.
June 8, 2017
I enjoyed the first part of this collection much more than I did the later pages. Despite that, Milosz's writing reads like ocean waves, buoying the reader along in new and unexpected ways. I will definitely consider reading more of his work.
August 25, 2020
It's such a pleasure to read books by this noble prize winner. Highly conversational, with subjects such as politics and religion. From page 28, I pluck this stunning line: "and a sky in which the sun means love." Thanks to translator Robert Hass.
March 3, 2021
I loved almost all of this book, so I would liked to have given it five stars. But the sequence titles “Apprentice” just didn’t quite have the same power or freshness of language as the rest of the collection. Overall however, these are wonderful poems. So kind of a 4.5 for me.
March 12, 2021
A commendable set, written in his 90s. A few poems are definitively brilliant, while the rest, though kind of has a prose effect to it, are class apart. It does take a little time to understand this kind of contemporary poetry, but the book still had its effect on me.
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June 17, 2022I thought I read the whole thing when it first came out. I read most of it then and much of it many times over. But section IV, Apprentice, was new to me. It's a study of the life of Czeslaw Milosz's admired relative, Oscar Milosz.
June 4, 2017
Made me remember why I love reading poetry. Thought provoking and beautiful.
June 16, 2018
2018 Reading Challenge, Book #46: A book tied to your ancestry
August 7, 2018
One of my favorite books by my favorite poet. It's also my middle son's favorite. It's Milosz, so it's thoughtful, full of heat, and continually pumping blood.
January 16, 2019
Čitati je jednom u mladosti i jednom u starosti.
November 9, 2021
This book saved my faith. It is a masterpiece.
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