Poetry by individual poets

Address of Paradise

by Zofia Ilinska

Description

At the start of this selection, the poet tells of dreams that were emblematic of her early life in Poland. Later, among lyrical poems of childhood, she writes of the source of her language: 'So in the visionary company of the Word I set out barefoot into the cornfields To rattle in the stubble of my first world, My patch of paradise on the River Niemen …' Exploring her roots leads to the recollection of her traumatic departure from Poland, and the fate of millions of others. But exile in a new country gave her consolations: ' ... A tidal sea Keeps out invading hordes … I fill my eyes with seabirds and shapes of boats.' At the end comes her stoical, even humorous, acceptance of illness, which is terminal.

Address of Paradise

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Rights Information

Worldwide Rights Available

Reviews

'She remains as quirkily fresh and moving as one of her long-lost Polish meadows - or those Cornish shores where she ended.' John Fowles The Spectator

Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Tabb House Books
  • Publication Date March 1996
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781873951310
  • FormatPaperback
  • Primary Price 8.95 GBP
  • Pages96
  • ReadershipGeneral
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions205 x 135 mm
  • Biblio NotesFront Cover photo: On the River Niemen at Moryn by Philip Marsden

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