The Selected Poetry

by Ivan Blatný, Anna Moschovakis (Translator), Justin Quinn (Translator)

“The verses and fate of the poet Ivan Blatny . . . complete the fate of Czech literature, which transcended the borders of the nation, often struggling for survival.”—Václav Havel

 Lost to the world for twenty-five years, Ivan Blatny was, according to the Czech Ministry of Culture, “one of the most significant Czech poets of the twentieth century.” Blatny fled Czechoslovakia after the Communist coup in 1948, but didn’t cope well with exile. This volume spans fifty years of his career and is notable for being the first major collection of Blatny’s work in English, including his multi-lingual poems written in English mental hospitals.

Genres: Poetry

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Blatny was a central figure in the Czechoslovak avant-garde until defecting to Britain in 1948, infuriating Communist authorities. His mental health began to deteriorate and he was eventually diagnosed as paranoid-schizophrenic, to spend most of the remainder of his life in British psychiatric hospitals. Though a curious nurse helped re-establish his literary status late in life, he died still in exile, unable to return to his homeland.

Reviews

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more of BIXLEY REMEDIAL SCHOOL. The uncollected poems were also very good at the end. The last two sections were well worth the price of admission. The early work is well crafted and romantic and less interesting. But Bixley remedial school. BIXLEY REMEDIAL SCHOOL!!! MUST GET MORE BIXLEY REMEDIAL SCHOOL. I could read BIXLEY REMEDIAL SCHOOL all day long! Highly highly recommend BIXLEY REMEDIAL SCHOOL.