Nativity Poems: Bilingual Edition

by Joseph Brodsky

Book Overview

Christmas poems by the Nobel Laureate

To Him, all things seemed enormous: His mother's breast, the
steam out
of the ox's nostrils, Caspar, Balthazar, Melchior, the team
of Magi, the presents heaped by the door, ajar.
He was but a dot, and a dot was the star.
--from "Star of the Nativity"

Joseph Brodsky, who jokingly referred to himself as "a Christian by correspondence," endeavored from the time he "first took...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374528578
• ISBN13: 9780374528577
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux-3pl
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.6" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

MARVELOUS NOBEL POET'S TRIBUTE TO CHRIST'S BIRTH

Joseph Brodsky leaves his final legacy with these poems in tribute to Jesus Christ and the Grand Miracle of Incarnation of God into Man. Several striking features make this a must-have volume for poetry lovers and those interested in the literatureof contemporary Nobel Laureates:1)The original Russian/Cyrillic Alphabet version of each poem is included with the translation on the facing page2)Most of the translations are by the author,retaining the spirit as well as the letter of the original poem3)The remaining translations are outstandingly faithful to the original, by consummate craftsmen in their own right: RichardWilbur,Anthony Hecht,Seamus Heaney,Derek Walcott,Glyn Maxwell4)All poems are focussed on one central event: the supernaturalmiraculous birth of Jesus Christ,the Son of God as a cause for worldwide celebration. Brodsky takes great care not to digressinto personal analysis,self-introspection, or theological interpretation, but lets the impressions of the Incarnation on the world around him be the theme of his poems5)A special bonus at the end of the book is a candid interview with Brodsky shortly before his death in 1997 which probes his religious faith (non-evangelical,uncertain 'quasi-Calvinist'), the difference between Russian Christianity and Russian Orthodoxy,Christmas vs. Easter in terms of commemoration, reflections on various of his Nativity poems and insights into the mind of the world-renowned Nobelist(e.g. significance of the world's calendar being B.C.-Before Christ and A.D. -Anno Domini, even after 2 millennia).Special highlights are the translations by Wilbur and Hecht.Makes a great gift all year-round.

Timeless

A remarkable collection of poems by Joseph Brodsky -- about "Time, eternity, and Love -- which span the life's work of a great poet."Perhaps it was the time of year in which I read Brodsky's collection of poems (December 2001), with the years great tragedies, and the feeling of helplessness that many people may now share. Whatever may have drawn me to this book, it is a book that I will forever remember.The poems are translated with great care so as not to lose the beauty of the original work of art. Brodsky has given the reader a genuine gift of the eternal truths of Christmas. His poem entitled "January 1, 1965" is sure to be a favorite for generations to come.If you enjoy poetry of metaphysical reflection and individual consciousness, you will enjoy reading "Nativity Poems." Definitely a book for the poetry lover on your gift list.