Zagajewski, Adam 1998
You who see our homes at night
and the frail walls of our conscience,
you who hear our conversations
droning on like sewing machines
–save me, tear me from sleep,
from amnesia.
– Adam Zagajewski, “Tierra del Fuego”
Read an interview with Adam Zagajewski from Poets&Writers:
An Interview With Poet Adam Zagajewski
Born in Lvov in 1945, Adam Zagajewski is one of the most well-known and highly regarded contemporary Polish poets. His luminous, searching poems are imbued by a deep engagement with history, art, and life. His books include Tremor: Selected Poems (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985), Canvas (FSG, 1991), Mysticism for Beginners (FSG, 1997), and Without End: New and Selected Poems (FSG, 2002).
Autumn is always too early.
The peonies are still blooming, bees
are still working out ideal states,
and the cold bayonets of autumn
suddenly glint in the fields and the wind
rages.
– Adam Zagajewski, “Autumn”
Watch Adam Zagajewski read some of his poetry:
