Description: "To Begin Where I Am" brings together a rich sampling of poet Milosz's prose writings. Spanning more than a half century, from an impassioned essay on human nature, wartime atrocities, and their challenge to ethical beliefs, this is a comprehensive selection of essays--some never before translated into English.
Brief description: Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004) was the winner of the 1978 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. His last book was To Begin Where I Am (FSG, 2001). Many of his works have been translated into English, including, Beginning with My Streets (FSG, 1992), The Year of the Hunter (FSG, 1994), Road-side Dog (FSG, 1998) Milosz's ABC's (FSG, 2001) and To Begin Where I Am (FSG, 2001).
Review Quotes:
"To Begin Where I Am stands as the most complete one-volume edition of Milosz's prose writings available in English by "arguably the greatest living poet." --Edward Hirsch, The New York Times Book Review
"Milosz's vigorous and sinewy prose is that of a man of a particular historical moment...The reader will find, in both the expository essays and the incomparable portraits of his contemporaries, Milosz's characteristic intensity, momentum, and savage intelligence." --Helen Vendler, Harper's Magazine "Extraordinary...These 400 or so pages document the development, over seven decades, of a great mind." --The Economist "Beguiling...[Milosz] displays his genius for wedding palpable, personal loss to larger themes...[To Begin Where I Am] grants privileged access to a singular literary mind." --Carlin Romano, The Philadelphia Inquirer "[This collection] could not have come at a better time...A remarkable body of work...Enlightening." --Cynthia L. Haven, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review