Selected and Last Poems: 1931-2004

“One of the century’s most important poets.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“One of the greatest poets of our time, perhaps the greatest.”
—Joseph Brodsky

“Nobody tells the story of this age better than Czeslaw Milosz.”
—New Republic

Commemorating the centenary year of Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz, Selected and Last Poems 1934 - 2004 is a sterling collection of some of the finest works of one the most revered poets of our time—including more than forty later poems new to this edition and never before published in English. Selected and Last Poems is a perfect introduction for poetry readers who might still be unfamiliar with this literary giant’s monumental body of work.

The long-awaited paperback edition of Selected Poems, revised and updated with more than forty new poems never before published in English

2011 marks the centenary year of one of the twentieth century’s most important poets, Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz. To mark the occasion, Anthony Milosz has translated into English the last poems his father wrote, granting readers new insight into the work of an unparalleled master of the form.

Life opened for Czeslaw Milosz with the clash of civilizations in northeastern Europe. What unfolded around him was a century of catastrophe and madness: two world wars, revolutions, invasions, and the murders of tens of millions of people. In the thick of this upheaval, wide awake and in awe of living, Milosz tried to understand both history and the moment, with humble respect for the suffering of each individual. He wrote masterful poetry infused with a tireless spirit and a penetrating insight into fundamental human dilemmas and the staggering yet simple truth that “to exist on the earth is beyond any power to name.”

“For many people, poetry is consolation, a balm to soothe personal and collective wounds. In the hands of the late Czeslaw Milosz, it is also razor sharp.” - Christian Science Monitor

“Milosz continues exploring his own version of the meditative lyric, refusing to rest on his laurels…Consequently, he joins the ranks of other great poets of old age, such as Robert Penn Warren and W. B. Yeats himself.” - New York Times Book Review

“The work of Milosz reminds us of how much power poetry gains from bearing within itself an unforced, natural, and long-ranging memory of past customs; a sense of the strata of ancient and modern history; a wide visual experience; and a knowledge of many languages and literatures.” - Helen Vendler

“Nobody tells the story of this age better than Czeslaw Milosz.” - New Republic

“One of the century’s most important poets.” - San Francisco Chronicle