New Poems

"The startling juxtaposition of sensual and brutal histories, of human and animal flesh, of the experience of war and of writing is Rozewicz's great achievement throughout twenty volumes of poetry."- Guardian From the earliest days of his poetic career, Tadeusz Rozewicz found a unique, pared-down style that consciously avoided metaphor and sought a new, painfully clear voice in which to express the horrors of wartime experiences. His work was immediately recognized as new and vital in Polish poetry, and he came to be regarded as one of the most important writers of his generation. New Poems is a collection of Rozewicz's three latest volumes in their entirety: exit (1998), the professor's knife (2001), and gray zone (2002).

Polish poet Tadeusz Rózewicz (1921- ) is considered one of Europe's most innovative and important writers. Along with his contemporaries Czeslaw Milosz, Zbiegniew Herbert, and Wislawa Szymborska, he created the extraordinary phenomenon that was post-war Polish poetry. Lionized in his native country and beyond, since his debut in 1946 with Unease, he has published over twenty major collections of poetry. He is also one of the most important Polish playwrights of the 20th century. His poetry and plays continue to attract the highest critical acclaim in Poland; his numerous awards include the Nike Prize, Poland's most prestigious literary award, for his 1999 book Mother Departs.

Bill Johnston is the Chair of the Comparative Literature Department at Indiana University. His translations include Wies?aw My?liwski¢s Stone Upon Stone, and Magdalens Tulli¢s Dreams and Stones, Moving Parts, Flaw and In Red. His 2008 translation of Tadeusz Ró?ewicz¢s new poems won the inaugural Found in Translation Prize and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Poetry Award.