Collected Poems in English

Collected Poems in English presents Joseph Brodsky's complete works written in or translated to English from 1972-1999. The volume, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2000, was assembled by Ann Kjellberg, Brodsky's literary executor. The collection spans nearly three decades of work from the Nobel Prize-winning poet, capturing his evolution as a writer in the English language. It includes both original English compositions and Brodsky's own translations of his Russian poems. These verses explore themes of exile, language, time, and the intersection of personal and political experience. The collection stands as a testament to Brodsky's unique position as a Russian poet who became a significant voice in English-language literature.

Readers note that this collection provides access to Brodsky's self-translated poems and those he wrote directly in English. The translations receive particular attention for maintaining the original Russian forms and meters. Readers appreciate: - Complex rhyme schemes preserved in English - Philosophical depth and intellectual rigor - Mix of personal and universal themes - Detailed footnotes providing context Common criticisms: - Dense language can feel forced or awkward - Some translations lose the musicality of Russian originals - Too academic/intellectual for casual poetry readers - Inconsistent quality across the collection Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (388 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (28 reviews) Notable reader comments: "His command of English meter and rhyme is remarkable, though sometimes at the expense of natural phrasing" -Goodreads reviewer "The footnotes are almost as fascinating as the poems" -Amazon review "Beautiful but requires work to fully appreciate" -LibraryThing user

Selected Poems by Osip Mandelstam These poems share Brodsky's Russian poetic heritage and exploration of exile, history, and cultural memory through dense metaphorical language.

Collected Poems by W.H. Auden Brodsky considered Auden a mentor, and these works demonstrate the same mastery of form, intellectual depth, and engagement with political themes.

New and Collected Poems: 1931-2001 by Czesław Miłosz This collection presents works from another Nobel laureate who, like Brodsky, writes about displacement, cultural identity, and the intersection of personal and political history.

Complete Poems by Anna Andreevna Akhmatova These poems represent the Russian poetic tradition that influenced Brodsky, with similar themes of loss, persecution, and preservation of cultural memory.

Collected Poems by Robert Lowell Lowell's confessional style and complex engagement with history and politics mirror Brodsky's approach to personal and historical subjects.

🌟 Brodsky received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987 at age 47, becoming one of the youngest recipients in history. 🌟 He was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1972 after being charged with "social parasitism," partly due to his poetry being deemed anti-Soviet. 🌟 Despite learning English only after his exile at age 32, Brodsky became the U.S. Poet Laureate (1991-1992) and wrote extensively in his adopted language. 🌟 Many poems in this collection were written while he was teaching at prestigious American universities, including Mount Holyoke, Columbia, and the University of Michigan. 🌟 Brodsky refused to have his Russian poems translated by others, insisting on translating them himself, believing that only the poet could truly recreate the original's intention in another language.