Notes on the Possibilities and Attractions of Existence

Wry, sly, hip—the selected poems of the past thirty-five years of Anselm Hollo.

Notes on the Possibilities and Attractions of Existence “treads the fine line between farce and pathos,” and offers the best work from the past thirty-five years by the inimitable Anselm Hollo. Wry and transcultural, eccentric and hip, this long-awaited retrospective is an essential addition to all poetry lovers’ bookshelves and required reading for students and fans of the masters of contemporary poetry.

Anselm Hollo authored more than forty books and was an award-winning translator. He was born in Helsinki, Finland. After ten years in England writing and broadcasting for the BBC European Services, Hollo settled in the United States in 1966. He enthusiastically contributed to the American literary community as a poet, teacher, and award-winning translator. Fluent in German, Swedish, Finnish and English by age ten, Hollo made a significant contribution to modern letters as a translator. Hollo was widely published in little magazines, and his books include Sojourner Microcosms (Blue Wine Press) and No Complaints (Toothpaste Press); his translations include Red Cats (City Lights) and collections by Haavikko (Cape Goliard/Grossman) and Pentti Saarikoski (Toothpaste Press).

Hollo taught at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. His collection of poems, Notes on the Possibilities and Attractions of Existence, received the San Francisco Poetry Center Award.