Reft and Light

by Ernst Jandl

Poetry. Fourth in Burning Deck's Dichten = series of current German writing in English translation, REFT AND LIGHT presents a series of exuberant, playful language experiments by the well-known German poet. In an unusual twist, each poem is rendered in multiple English versions by some of America's most daring poets and translators. As editor Rosmarie Waldrop explains, Ernst Jandl's poems are so engrained in the German language that they are impossible to translate... [These] adaptations range from close imitations to freewheeling versions that continue Jandl's thinking into other semantic areas. Contributors include Charles Bernstein, Lee Ann Brown, Norma Cole, Ray DiPalma, Kenward Elmslie, Anselm Hollo, Damon Krukowski, Gale Nelson, Joan Retallack, James Sherry, Cole Swensen, Keith Waldrop, Rosmarie Waldrop, Craig Watson, Marjorie Welish, and others.

Genres: Poetry

111 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Ernst Jandl (1925-2000) was an Austrian writer, poet, and translator.

Reviews

[Judy Soukupová]

To byla teda jízda! Strašně různorodá sbírka, obsahuje básně, prózy a dokonce jednu hru. Nečekala jsem tolik vážných témat jako politika, 2.světová válka, smrt atd. Ale byly tam i lehčí básně a i některý úplně nonsensový. Bylo dost těžký tomu rozumět v originále ale nějak jsem to zvládla s předkladačem :D Každopádně těším se až si od Jandla přečtu další kousky, určitě mě zaujal!

[Susanne Bandi]

German lyrics at its best! Even translated in English its fun: reft & light

[Henning Klank]

Excellent

[Lourdes Heuer]

Book 5 of 2016. Poetry. "A lesson on the perils and possibilities of translation, and as testimony to the sheer joy of crating with language" (Jeanette Clausen, International Poetry Review, Spring 2012).

[Parsnip]

Fascinating and moving. It's really a wild experience and an intense one as well, but absolutely worth it. Overall I preferred the first half of this collection, I wasn't prepares for the deep despair they're picturing but it was breathtakingly done.

4/5