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Selected Poems
Published for the centenary of his birth, a gathering of lucid, intensely lyrical poetry from one of the twentieth century’s pre-eminent literary voices
be courageous when reason fails you be courageous
in the final reckoning it is the only thing that counts
Zbigniew Herbert was one of the best-known and most-translated poets of post-war Poland, opposed alike to Communism, Fascism, nationalism and the Church, yet moved, throughout his work, by ‘a powerful sense of right and wrong without a corresponding belief in a system’ (New York Times).
His is a poetry of compression, lucidity and profound humanity. The universe he conjures is deeply informed not only by his own time, but by history – by that of the Medieval Mediterranean and Central Europe, as much as of the Classical world – and by a taste for historical and philosophical paradox. In the early and middle works, the figure of the trickster never seems far from view. Throughout, Herbert asks questions about the nature and needs of sentient beings. His desire, always, is to ‘touch the essence’: to get to the heart of life.
Selected with an introduction and afterword by J. M. Coetzee and Alissa Valles, this outstanding gathering from the full range of Herbert’s poetic output invites readers to experience the beauty and profundity of a remarkable body of work.
be courageous when reason fails you be courageous
in the final reckoning it is the only thing that counts
Zbigniew Herbert was one of the best-known and most-translated poets of post-war Poland, opposed alike to Communism, Fascism, nationalism and the Church, yet moved, throughout his work, by ‘a powerful sense of right and wrong without a corresponding belief in a system’ (New York Times).
His is a poetry of compression, lucidity and profound humanity. The universe he conjures is deeply informed not only by his own time, but by history – by that of the Medieval Mediterranean and Central Europe, as much as of the Classical world – and by a taste for historical and philosophical paradox. In the early and middle works, the figure of the trickster never seems far from view. Throughout, Herbert asks questions about the nature and needs of sentient beings. His desire, always, is to ‘touch the essence’: to get to the heart of life.
Selected with an introduction and afterword by J. M. Coetzee and Alissa Valles, this outstanding gathering from the full range of Herbert’s poetic output invites readers to experience the beauty and profundity of a remarkable body of work.
- GenresPoetry
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 28, 2024
About the author
Zbigniew Herbert
133 books227 followersZbigniew Herbert was a Polish poet, essayist, drama writer, author of plays, and moralist. He was also a member of the Polish resistance movement. Herbert is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers, and has been nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in literature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 13, 2025
Many arresting lines. Some breathtaking poems. These poems likely would be more powerful with full annotation as there are clearly depths here with historical, literary and mythical allusions that I'm sure escaped me.
June 29, 2025
"she knows I will live
to find out for myself
without words curses or tears
the rough
surface
and the pit
of the world"
to find out for myself
without words curses or tears
the rough
surface
and the pit
of the world"
May 18, 2026
Some of these poems will stop you in your tracks, others need a bit more context to fully appreciate.
I went in knowing little about Herbert, and came out wanting to read more.
I went in knowing little about Herbert, and came out wanting to read more.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews