Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness - Hardcover

Forche, Carolyn; Duncan Wu

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393033724 ISBN 13: 9780393033724

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1993

Synopsis

This landmark anthology, the first of its kind, takes it impulse from the words of Bertolt Brecht: "In these dark times, will there also be singing? / Yes, there will be singing. / About the dark times."

Bearing witness to extremity―whether of war, torture, exile, or repression―the volume encompasses more than 140 poets from five continents, over the span of this century from the Armenian genocide to Tiananmen Square.

About this title

About the Author:

Carolyn Forché, poet, translator, and activist, is professor of English at Georgetown University. She has published two award-winning volumes of poetry, Gathering the Tribes and The Country Between Us. In 1990 Ms. Fourché received a Lannan Literary Award, granted to poets and writers of literary excellence "whose work promotes a truer understanding of contemporary life." Her most recent volume of poetry is Blue Hour.

Review:

Enumeration by Ilse Aichinger
Glimpse From The Past by Ilse Aichinger
In Which Names by Ilse Aichinger
The Angels Of The Ruins by Rafael Alberti
Punishments by Rafael Alberti
The Warlike Angels by Rafael Alberti
From The Bridge by Claribel Alegria
We Were Three by Claribel Alegria
Anniversary by Odysseus Alepoudeli
The Autopsy by Odysseus Alepoudeli
The March Toward The Front by Odysseus Alepoudeli
The Sleep Of The Brave by Odysseus Alepoudeli
God Has Pity On Kindergarten Children by Yehuda Amichai
Ibn Gabirol by Yehuda Amichai
If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem by Yehuda Amichai
Like Our Bodies' Imprint by Yehuda Amichai
Two Songs Of Peace: 1 by Yehuda Amichai
Two Songs Of Peace: 2 by Yehuda Amichai
Death Fugue by Paul Antschel
I Hear That The Axe Has Flowered by Paul Antschel
A Leaf, Treeless For Bertolt Brecht by Paul Antschel
Night Ray by Paul Antschel
There Was Earth Inside Them, And They Dug by Paul Antschel
The Little Car by Guillaume Apollinaire
Post Card (sent To Andrd Rouyere, 20 August 1915) by Guillaume Apollinaire
Shadow by Guillaume Apollinaire
Stanzas Against Forgetting by Guillaume Apollinaire
Psalm by Tudor Arghezi
Testament by Tudor Arghezi
Epitaph On A Tyrant by Wystan Hugh Auden
September 1, 1939 by Wystan Hugh Auden
Spain - 1937 by Wystan Hugh Auden
How We Carry Ourselves by Jimmy Santiago Baca
Immigrants In Our Own Land by Jimmy Santiago Baca
Like An Animal by Jimmy Santiago Baca
Oppression by Jimmy Santiago Baca
Early Noon by Ingeborg Bachmann
In The Storm Of Roses by Ingeborg Bachmann
A Kind Of Loss by Ingeborg Bachmann
For A Missing In Action by John Balaban
The Guard At The Binh Thuy Bridge by John Balaban
News Update by John Balaban
Balboa, The Entertainer by Amiri Baraka
Incident by Amiri Baraka
Political Poem by Amiri Baraka
December 14, 1979: A Poetry Reading by Stanislaw Baranczak
February 8, 1980 by Stanislaw Baranczak
If China by Stanislaw Baranczak
Fragments by Gottfried Benn
Monologue by Gottfried Benn
My Name by Daniel Berrigan
Prayer by Daniel Berrigan
Rehabilitative Report: We Can Still Laugh by Daniel Berrigan
Exodus by Horst Bienek
Our Ashes by Horst Bienek
Resistance by Horst Bienek
Vorkuta by Horst Bienek
Elder-blossom by Johannes Bobrowski
Kaunas 1941 by Johannes Bobrowski
Latvian Songs by Johannes Bobrowski
Pruzzian Elegy by Johannes Bobrowski
Project: Flag by Tadeusz Boroski
The Sun Of Auschwitz by Tadeusz Boroski
Two Countries by Tadeusz Boroski
From A German War Primer by Bertolt Brecht
The God Of War by Bertolt Brecht
To Those Born Later by Bertolt Brecht
When Evil-doing Comes Like Falling Rain by Bertolt Brecht
The World's One Hope by Bertolt Brecht
More Than Suspect by Andre Breton
War by Andre Breton
Dar Es-salaam: Harbour Of Peace by Breyten Breytenbach
Exile, Representative by Breyten Breytenbach
First Prayer For The Hottentotsgod by Breyten Breytenbach
Journey by Breyten Breytenbach
The Struggle For The Taal by Breyten Breytenbach
The Berlin Wall Tune by Joseph Brodsky
Elegy by Joseph Brodsky
To Urania by Joseph Brodsky
Childhood by Edith Bruck
Equality, Father by Edith Bruck
Pretty Soon by Edith Bruck
Cold by Dennis Brutus
On The Island by Dennis Brutus
Prayer by Dennis Brutus
Under House Arrest by Dennis Brutus
The Enveloping Echo by Ion Caraion
Remember by Ion Caraion
Song From The Occupation Time by Ion Caraion
Tomorrow The Past Comes by Ion Caraion
Ultimate Argument by Ion Caraion
Temptation by Nina Cassian
Vowel by Nina Cassian
Apolitical Intellectuals by Otto-rene Castillo
Before The Scales, Tomorrow by Otto-rene Castillo
Distances by Otto-rene Castillo
The City by Constantine P. Cavafy
Waiting For The Barbarians by Constantine P. Cavafy
Argument by Rene Char
Disdained Apparitions by Rene Char
Leaves Of Hypnos: 128 by Rene Char
Man Flees Suffocatiion by Rene Char
Unbending Prayer by Rene Char
The Returned Soldier by John Clare
Group Photo From Pretoria Local .. Fourth Anniversary by Jeremy Cronin
Motho Ke Motho Ka Batho Babang (a Person Is A Person Because Of Other by Jeremy Cronin
The Naval Base (part Iii) by Jeremy Cronin
Brief Letter To Donald Walsh (in Memoriam) by Angel Cuadra
In Brief by Angel Cuadra
50 Poems: 5 by Edward Estlin Cummings
W (viva): 30 by Edward Estlin Cummings
Love Poem by Roque Dalton
My Neighbor by Roque Dalton
Earth Poem by Mahmud (mahmoud) Darwish
Prison by Mahmud (mahmoud) Darwish
Psalm 2 by Mahmud (mahmoud) Darwish
We Travel Like Other People by Mahmud (mahmoud) Darwish
Ars Poetica by Robert Desnos
Letter To Youki by Robert Desnos
The Night Watchman Of Pont-au-change by Robert Desnos
The Black Sheep by Gojko Djogo
The National Hero by Gojko Djogo
The Wooden Handle by Gojko Djogo
The Walls Do Not Fall: 1 by Hilda Doolittle
The Walls Do Not Fall: 10 by Hilda Doolittle
The Walls Do Not Fall: 2 by Hilda Doolittle
The Walls Do Not Fall: 6 by Hilda Doolittle
The Walls Do Not Fall: 9 by Hilda Doolittle
I Just Missed The Bus And I'll Be Late For Work by Ariel Dorfman
Last Waltz In Santiago by Ariel Dorfman
Vocabulary by Ariel Dorfman
Memorial Service For Invasion Beach Where Vacation In Flesh Is Over by Alan Dugan
On An East Wind From The Wars by Alan Dugan
Portrait From The Infantry by Alan Dugan
Geometrical Place by Gunther Eich
Inventory by Gunther Eich
Old Postcards by Gunther Eich
Seminar For Backward Pupils by Gunther Eich
Eye Blade by George Evans
Revelation In The Mother Lode by George Evans
No Sign Of Blood by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Once Again The Mind by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
A Prison Daybreak by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
The Tyrant by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Cambodia by James Fenton
Dead Soldiers by James Fenton
Lines For Translation Into Any Language by James Fenton
Exile by Erich Fried
My Girlfriends by Erich Fried
One Kind Of Freedom Speaks by Erich Fried
What Things Are Called by Erich Fried
Casida Of Sobbing by Federico Garcia Lorca
Little Infinite Poem by Federico Garcia Lorca
The Quarrel by Federico Garcia Lorca
Rundown Church by Federico Garcia Lorca
Lackawanna Elegy by Iwan Goll
The Last River by Iwan Goll
Your Sleep by Iwan Goll
Sukhanovo by Natalya Gorbanyevskaya
Requiem: 10. Crucifixion by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 1935-1940 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 2 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 3 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 4 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 5 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 6 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 7. The Sentence by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 8. To Death by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: 9 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: Dedication by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: Epilogue by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Requiem: Prologue by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
Rquiem: 1 by Anna Adreyevna Gorenko
In The Egg by Gunter Wilhelm Grass
Music For Brass by Gunter Wilhelm Grass
Saturn by Gunter Wilhelm Grass
Recalling War by Robert Ranke Graves
Dawn Dissolves The Monsters by Eugene Grindel
Meetings by Eugene Grindel
Nazi Song by Eugene Grindel
November 1936 by Eugene Grindel
To Her Of Whom They Dream by Eugene Grindel
'it Out-herods Herod. Pray You, Avoid It' by Anthony Hecht
'more Light! More Light!' by Anthony Hecht
Painter by Zbigniew Herbert
Report From The Besieged City by Zbigniew Herbert
The Trial by Zbigniew Herbert
The Wall by Zbigniew Herbert
What I Saw; To The Memory Of Kazimierz Moczarski by Zbigniew Herbert
I Go Into The Dark, Lit From Within; Does Day Exist? by Miguel Hernandez
July 18, 1936 - July 18, 1939 by Miguel Hernandez
Lullaby Of The Onion by Miguel Hernandez
Tomb Of The Imagination by Miguel Hernandez
Waltz Poem Of Those In Love And Inseparably Forever by Miguel Hernandez
War by Miguel Hernandez
The Evening Walk by Nazim Hikmet
Letters From A Man In Solitary by Nazim Hikmet
Since I Was Thrown Inside by Nazim Hikmet
Things I Didn't Know I Loved by Nazim Hikmet
Children At Christmas In 1945 by Vladimir Holan
In The Yard Of The Polyclinic by Vladimir Holan
Resurrection by Vladimir Holan
To The Enemies by Vladimir Holan
The Garden Of Theophrastus by Peter Huchel
Landscape Beyond Warsaw by Peter Huchel
Psalm by Peter Huchel
Roads by Peter Huchel
Let America Be America Again by James Langston Hughes
Letter To The Academy by James Langston Hughes
Madrid - 1937 by James Langston Hughes
Napoli Again by Richard Hugo
A View From Cortona by Richard Hugo
The Yards Of Sarajevo by Richard Hugo
The Beginning Of A Beautiful Day (a Symphony) by Daniil Iuvachev
An Event On The Street by Daniil Iuvachev
Symphony No. 2 by Daniil Iuvachev
The Beginning Of The Book by Edmond Jabes
The Book by Edmond Jabes
The Desert by Edmond Jabes
The Desert, 2 by Edmond Jabes
Notebook, 2 by Edmond Jabes
The Horrible Today by Max Jacob
In Search Of The Traitor by Max Jacob
Moon Poem by Max Jacob
War by Max Jacob
Hat by Tomasz Jastrun
The Polish Knot by Tomasz Jastrun
Scrap by Tomasz Jastrun
The Seed by Tomasz Jastrun
The Creature's Rest by Teresa De Jesus [pseud.]
Curfew by Teresa De Jesus [pseud.]
The Flag Of Chile by Teresa De Jesus [pseud.]
Attila Jozsef by Attila Jozsef
Freight Trains by Attila Jozsef
The Seventh by Attila Jozsef
To Sit, To Stand, To Kill, To Die by Attila Jozsef
It Has The Unassumuning Face Of A Burnt-out Candle by Velimir Vladimirovich Khlebnikov
Suppose I Make A Timepiece Of Humanity by Velimir Vladimirovich Khlebnikov
The Asphyxiated Man by Victor Lvovich Kibalchich
Constellation Of Dead Brothers by Victor Lvovich Kibalchich
Dialectic by Victor Lvovich Kibalchich
Hands by Victor Lvovich Kibalchich
Another Night In The Ruins by Galway Kinnell
Vapor Trail Reflected In The Frog Pond by Galway Kinnell
Legend Of Lilja by Sarah Kirsch
Mail by Sarah Kirsch
Pictures by Sarah Kirsch
1. Poland by Irena Klepfisz
2. Chicago, 1964 by Irena Klepfisz
3. Brooklyn, 1971 by Irena Klepfisz
4. Cherry Plain by Irena Klepfisz
These Words Are Dedicated To Those Who Died by Irena Klepfisz
These Words Are Dedicated To Those Who Survived by Irena Klepfisz
Hard Rock Returns To Prison From The Hospital For The Criminal Insane by Etheridge Knight
The Idea Of Ancestry by Etheridge Knight
A Poem For Myself by Etheridge Knight
To Make A Poem In Prison by Etheridge Knight
Judith by Gertrud Kolmar
The Sacrifice by Gertrud Kolmar
After The Fall Of Saigon by Yusef Komunyakaa
Boat People by Yusef Komunyakaa
Starlight Scope Myopia by Yusef Komunyakaa
It's Late by Abba Kovner
Potato Pie by Abba Kovner
To Myself by Abba Kovner
What's Not In The Heart by Abba Kovner
Father And Son by Stanley Jasspon Kunitz
The Last Picnic by Stanley Jasspon Kunitz
Night Letter by Stanley Jasspon Kunitz
1. by Marie Rene Auguste Alexis Saint-leger Leger
2. by Marie Rene Auguste Alexis Saint-leger Leger
3. by Marie Rene Auguste Alexis Saint-leger Leger
Christmas 1944 by Denise Levertov
Fragrance Of Life, Odor Of Death by Denise Levertov
In Thai Binh (peace) Province by Denise Levertov
Weeping Woman by Denise Levertov
Annunication by Primo Levi
Buna by Primo Levi
For Adolf Eichmann by Primo Levi
Shema by Primo Levi
Voices by Primo Levi
At Parting by Li Shizheng
Looking Out From Death You Will Always See by Li Shizheng
Untitled: Statement 8 by Li Shizheng
When The People Stand Up Out Of Hard Cheese by Li Shizheng
Wishful Thinking Is The Master Of Reality by Li Shizheng
Memories Of West Street And Lepke by Robert Lowell
22.6.1941 by Ondra Lysohorsky
At A Sunlit Window by Ondra Lysohorsky
Ballad Of Jan Palach, Student And Heretic by Ondra Lysohorsky
Coplas by Antonio Machado Ruiz
Rainbow At Night by Antonio Machado Ruiz
Today's Meditation by Antonio Machado Ruiz
Brother Fire by Frederick Louis Macneice
Prayer Before Birth by Frederick Louis Macneice
Troll's Courtship (written After An Air Raid, April 1941) by Frederick Louis Macneice
I Was Washing Outside In The Darkness by Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam
Leningrad by Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam
Mounds Of Human Heads Are Wandering Into The Distance by Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam
The Stalin Epigram by Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam
After Wiriyamu Village Massacre By Portuguese by Jack A. Mapanje
On Being Asked To Write A Poem For 1979 by Jack A. Mapanje
On His Royal Blindness Chief Kwangala by Jack A. Mapanje
First Prelude To The Poem by Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky
Past One O'clock. You Must Have Gone To Bed by Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0393033724
• ISBN 13: 9780393033724
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1