About this Item
383 x 282 mm. (15 x 11"). [8] leaves of text. Unbound in green paper wrapper. In original (slightly sunned) deep green buckram clamshell box. WITH FIVE HAND-COLORED ETCHINGS by Brooke Schnabel, each plate in bifolium facing text. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR on the limitation page; further SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR on the limitation page: "For Kurt and Laure-Anne, / Love Charlie/ August 10, 2007, / Stratford, NH." As new; the box with fading to the spine and along two edges of the front cover. This is an extremely rare copy of a large and attractive production combining poetry, art, and fine printing, as well as an inscription by the author to a pair of dear poetic friends. Winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize in poetry and U.S. Poet Laureate for 2007-08, Charles Simic (1938-2023) wrote moving, surrealistic poetry often based on his own experiences, particularly his traumatic childhood in what was then Yugoslavia. Here, his talent for imbuing the mundane with a sense of magic is evident in these verses about topics including the day-to-day aspects of romantic relationships, sleeping with the window open, and seedy nightclubs. The effervescent etchings of Brooke Schnabel perfectly complement the text, with their bright, fresh colors and graceful, soaring linework. The present Goshen Editions production is of a very high quality, with the text printed in Monotype Dante by Michael Russem of the Kat Ran Press. As the friendly inscription indicates, this copy is from the collection of Laure-Anne Bosselaar (b. 1943) and her husband Kurt Brown (1944-2013). Bosselaar is a Belgian-American poet, translator, and editor who has published numerous works of poetry in multiple languages, including five collections of her own works. She has received various prizes and recognitions (Pushcart, Isabella Gardner, Breadloaf) and was named Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara in 2019. Sometimes publishing jointly with Bosselaar, Brown was also a prolific poet and editor of anthologies, as well as the founder and first director of the Aspen Writer's Conference, playing a pivotal role in shaping its early vision and establishing Aspen as a literary center. It was through the Aspen Writer's Conference that Bosselaar and Brown became friends with Simic, when Brown invited Simic to speak at the conference in the early 1990s. Bosselaar, reminiscing on a friendship of over two decades, wrote that "Charlie (as he was known by his friends) and Kurt had a great friendship, and shared a common love for wine & poetry--so, often, the Simics would come to our house, and we d have a 'good bottle' or two around a dinner I'd cook for them." The rarity of "Five Poems" seems to be even greater than its very limited press run of 30 might suggest: we find no other copy on the market at present, and we could trace no copies at auction.
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