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Devil's Lunch: Selected Poems
The powerful and deeply moving work of the Serbian poet Aleksandar Ristovíc, published for the first time in the United states.
Make me a long coat of heavy cloth, tailor,
the kind that won't fray,
and of a dark color,
so no one will notice the cigarette ashes.
Make the dark trousers of the same material,
to last as long as I want them to,
wearing them to visit many cities, villages,
and other out-of-the-way places.
* * * * *
Make me a dark jacket, tailor, with wide, deep pockets
to clench my fists in, while watching the one
they're dragging from my table into the bushes,
which begin to shake after a few moments.
-from "Gingerbread Heart"
Whether addressing pigs, speaking for prostitutes, or considering lavatories, the great Serbian poet Ristovic (1933-94) revealed a capacious yet unsentimental sympathy with the despised, downtrodden, and disregarded. Devil's Lunch , hitherto unpublished in America, is a quirky and moving selection of his work greatly enriched by Charles Simic's earthy and authentic translations. Simic, himself a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary poet, allows us to fully appreciate a major talent who always spoke with humor, honesty, and compassion.
Make me a long coat of heavy cloth, tailor,
the kind that won't fray,
and of a dark color,
so no one will notice the cigarette ashes.
Make the dark trousers of the same material,
to last as long as I want them to,
wearing them to visit many cities, villages,
and other out-of-the-way places.
* * * * *
Make me a dark jacket, tailor, with wide, deep pockets
to clench my fists in, while watching the one
they're dragging from my table into the bushes,
which begin to shake after a few moments.
-from "Gingerbread Heart"
Whether addressing pigs, speaking for prostitutes, or considering lavatories, the great Serbian poet Ristovic (1933-94) revealed a capacious yet unsentimental sympathy with the despised, downtrodden, and disregarded. Devil's Lunch , hitherto unpublished in America, is a quirky and moving selection of his work greatly enriched by Charles Simic's earthy and authentic translations. Simic, himself a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary poet, allows us to fully appreciate a major talent who always spoke with humor, honesty, and compassion.
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 17, 2013
Fantastic, unknown Serbian poet.
August 18, 2019
Magical and grounded in folk surrealism. One of my favourites. One of those you can return to again and again. A rarity!
August 11, 2016
Quote:
“I don’t care
About the flowers, which I merely invented
To give myself another reason to address you.”
When Russell Edson said that “the sense of the funny is the true sense of the tragic,” he could well have been talking about Alexander Ristovic, a poet who was born in 1933 in Yugoslavia and who taught high school literature, edited children's books, translated French poetry, and published 17 poetry books in his lifetime.
Ristovic is astonishing. His poems are cinematic, intriguing, with a bizarre, surprising lyricism. One is at once aware that this is an entirely different world—and yet it is the same world. There are fascinating, small odd details, like pine needles on the floor, a bug crawling on a girl’s arm, a butcher tickling a pig with his knife. I feel that Ristovic is a brother-in-arms. His belief reflects mine: “Not loving poetry and still yielding to it, I have become its captive, and can offer the reader nothing but myself.” Ristovic is a surrealistic master, parodic and true, as surprising as a birthday cake. What Ristovic has achieved is making the taboo and the bizarre beautiful. He talks to you like his life depended on it, as all poets should. It gives me great pleasure to find poets of this caliber, and hope that the future will produce more of them.
July 26, 2016
If you are me you'll love this. Not sure if you are you though. Risty is a weirdo, man -- my kind of weirdo but still.
May 30, 2019
Poems like fables, poems like myths. I found out about Ristovic through Simic (who translates and introduces this collection) and I'm so glad I did. The cover art and the title of the collection alone was enough to salivate, and the 100 pages of poetry within are downright delightful. "Now it's time for a glass of wine and a small cake."
December 30, 2020
Aleksandar Ristović
An incredible yet slim read. I would describe this collection of poems as raw, blunt, comical, and somewhat disturbing but not in a deep sense. Ristović paints wonderful images and themes with his words. A 100% unique read and a 100% recommended read.
An incredible yet slim read. I would describe this collection of poems as raw, blunt, comical, and somewhat disturbing but not in a deep sense. Ristović paints wonderful images and themes with his words. A 100% unique read and a 100% recommended read.
August 12, 2014
a slim poetry collection that has to be taken slowly, Rich, evocative, visual, makes you sometimes gasp for breath, Ristovic is the consummate storyteller... the maker of pictures, the one who understands motivation, the workings of the soul and spirit and the baser workings of the Devil in us all. Myths, legends, the bogeymen we all have met... are all contained with in these pages. Expect also to laugh out loud. Loved it. Will definitely read more of this wonderful poet.
November 18, 2012
Occasional gems, but overall I was not particular enthralled.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews