The Book For My Brother

This newest collection of poems from Tomaž Šalamun is exuberant, ambitious, and full of surprises. Here the devil is encountered and understood- I see the devil's head, people, I see his whole body . . . he longs for innocence, as we do. Here the poet juggles many tones, languages, and countries. Desire is evoked as both frustrating and exhilarating- I'm watered by longing, knocking my head into the wall, on the ground, or I burn, burn, folded up on the couch. And memory comes back to remind us of the laws and experiences of childhood- Once again you are let loose in the sea only after five o'clock in the afternoon to take a dose of sunlight like the ticking of the clock. At once daring and clear-voiced, The Book for My Brother is an extraordinary achievement.