Continuum: Poems

by Nina Cassian

A new collection of work from "a world-class, high-spirited, fierce, intelligent, uncompromising, and wonderfully nervy poet" (Stanley Kunitz). Continuum is a sweeping collection from a "miraculous" (Dana Gioia) poet. Spanning nearly sixty years, these poems--both new English translations of her work in Romanian--blend her gallows humor and an engagement with the human experience, from memories of a childhood at play to the contemplation of a gradual mortality.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Nina Cassian (pen name of Renée Annie Cassian-Mătăsaru) was a Romanian poet, children's book writer, translator, journalist, accomplished pianist and composer, and film critic. She spent the first sixty years of her life in Romania until she moved to the United States in 1985 for a teaching job. A few years later Cassian was granted permanent asylum and New York City became her home for the rest of her life. Much of her work was published both in Romanian and in English.

Reviews

[Britt O'Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked ChatGPT to recommend 7 different Romanian poets, describing their writing style, themes, context, and biography. The description of Nina Cassian piqued my interest:

“Nina Cassian (1924-2014) - Cassian was a poet, translator, and visual artist, and one of the most important voices of the Romanian literary scene in the postwar period. Her poetry is known for its playful, often satirical tone and its exploration of themes such as love, death, and the absurdity of everyday life. Some of her most famous poems include "Urarea" ("The Greeting"), "Aici acolo" ("Here There"), and "Despre moarte" ("About Death"). Cassian was forced into exile in 1985 due to her vocal opposition to the communist regime in Romania.”

Unfortunately, most of her books are out of print. There were a couple original versions in Romanian shops, but even then the selection was minimal. It was very difficult to find English translations of Romanian poetry broadly (including in dedicated English bookstores) - those shelves were dominated by Blake and Poe and Shakespeare. Glück and Oliver were the few female authors represented.

I was finally able to find Continuum digitally. Fortunately, no translation was needed as she wrote it in English. There were some funny moments, commentary on English culture with wordplay, and resonant themes about aging as a woman, but discussion of / allusions to her experiences in Romania were minimal.

Alas, it was the last poetry collection she published.

I tried to savor it:
quickly, quickly, quickly

[Jeffrey Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassian may have a troubled past lurking behind the Iron Curtain but her travail is transcendent. She is a master of anthropomorphic metaphors.