Writing with “luminous clarity” (Kirkus Reviews), an award-winning poet brings to life his all-consuming quest to catch a glimpse of Plectrophenax nivalis, the elusive Snow Bunting.

Diary of a Left-Handed Birdwatcher (Harvest Book)

Literature & Fiction

Nathan, Leonard

Essays & Correspondence

Mariner Books

Born in the early years of the 20th century, in Lithuania, Czeslaw Milosz, a self-described "connoisseur of heavens and abysses" has produced a corpus of poems, essays, memoirs, and fiction of great depth and range. In "The Poet's Work", Leonard Nathan and Arthur Quinn follow Milosz's wanderings in exile from Poland to Paris to Berkeley as they chart the development of his art. They relate his life and his works to the unfolding of his thought. "The Poet's Work" is not only an introduction to Milosz; it is also a record of the poet's own interpretations of his work. As colleagues of Milosz at Berkeley, Nathan and Quinn had long, detailed discussions with the poet. Nathan and Quinn reveal why Milosz is a true visionary, a poet of ideas in history, and they show how the influence of Blake, Simone Weil, Dostoevsky, Lev Shestov, and Swedenborg, together with Henry Miller, Allen Ginsberg, and Robinson Jeffers, has enriched his vision. Milosz's lifelong experience of totalitarian regimes that exalt science and technology over individual needs and aspirations, his sense of alienation as an emigre, and his humanistic zeal and belief in the primacy of living have brought a prismatic quality to his poetry. "The Poet's Work" is an introduction to Milosz that should inform and engage both scholars and general readers.

The Poet's Work: An Introduction to Czeslaw Milosz

Quinn, Arthur

History & Criticism

Harvard University Press

Born eighty years ago in Lithuania, Czeslaw Milosz has been acclaimed “one of the greatest poets of our time, perhaps the greatest” (Joseph Brodsky). This self-described “connoisseur of heavens and abysses” has produced a corpus of poems, essays, memoirs, and fiction of such depth and range that the reader's imagination is moved far beyond ordinary limits of consciousness. In The Poet's Work Leonard Nathan and Arthur Quinn follow Milosz's wanderings in exile from Poland to Paris to Berkeley as they chart the singular development of his art. Relating his life and his works to the unfolding of his thought, they have crafted a lucid reading of Milosz that far surpasses anything yet written on this often enigmatic poet.
The Poet's Work is not only a solid introduction to Milosz; it is also a unique record of the poet's own interpretations of his work. As colleagues of Milosz at Berkeley, Nathan and Quinn had long, detailed discussions with the poet. It is this spirit of collaboration that brings a sense of immediacy and authority to their seamless study. Nathan and Quinn reveal as never before why Milosz is a true visionary, a poet of ideas in history. And they show how the influence of Blake, Simone Weil, Dostoevsky, Lev Shestov, and Swedenborg, together with Henry Miller, Allen Ginsberg, and Robinson Jeffers, has enriched his vision. Milosz's lifelong experience of totalitarian regimes that exalt science and technology over individual needs and aspirations, his acute sense of alienation as an émigré, and his humanistic zeal and belief in the primacy of living have brought a prismatic quality to his poetry.
At seventy, Milosz spoke of himself as an “ecstatic pessimist.” In their sensitive mapping of his art, Nathan and Quinn skillfully demonstrate that Milosz's global influence has been achieved by the ever-shifting balance he strikes between ecstasy and pessimism. Irony and humor are never far from this book, which not only communicates Milosz's polyphonic message but also evokes his uniquely humane sensibility. The Poet's Work is an illuminating introduction to Milosz that will inform and engage scholars and general readers for years to come.

The Poet’s Work: An Introduction to Czeslaw Milosz

"Every poet has one or two compulsive themes," writes Leonard Nathan. "One of mine is how to make things fit together that don't but should; the other is getting down far enough below a surface to see if something is still worth praising. Over the years and without self-consciously trying. I have moved closer and closer to the human voice in my verse. But I have also tried to keep a quality in it--for lack of a better word, I call it eloquence--that makes it more than conversation. My hope is to be clear, true, and good listening." Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Returning Your Call: Poems (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets, 96)

Poetry

Princeton University Press

"Every poet has one or two compulsive themes," writes Leonard Nathan. "One of mine is how to make things fit together that don't but should; the other is getting down far enough below a surface to see if something is still worth praising. Over the years and without self-consciously trying. I have moved closer and closer to the human voice in my verse. But I have also tried to keep a quality in it―for lack of a better word, I call it eloquence―that makes it more than conversation. My hope is to be clear, true, and good listening."
Originally published in 1975.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Returning Your Call: Poems (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets)

"Every poet has one or two compulsive themes," writes Leonard Nathan. "One of mine is how to make things fit together that don't but should; the other is getting down far enough below a surface to see if something is still worth praising. Over the years and without self-consciously trying. I have moved closer and closer to the human voice in my verse. But I have also tried to keep a quality in it--for lack of a better word, I call it eloquence--that makes it more than conversation. My hope is to be clear, true, and good listening."Originally published in 1975.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

"Every poet has one or two compulsive themes," writes Leonard Nathan. "One of mine is how to make things fit together that don't but should; the other is getting down far enough below a surface to see if something is still worth praising. Over the years and without self-consciously trying. I have moved closer and closer to the human voice in my verse. But I have also tried to keep a quality in it--for lack of a better word, I call it eloquence--that makes it more than conversation. My hope is to be clear, true, and good listening."Originally published in 1975.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Approx. 56 poems include The Kernel, Like us may be, Nurse, When the great aptitudes, Outside the wall etc.

The Day the Perfect Speakers Left (Wesleyan Poetry Program)

Wesleyan University Press

Poems deal with friendship, love, nature, human accomplishment, the relationship between men and women, violence, generosity, and mortality

Carrying on: New & Selected Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

Univ of Pittsburgh Pr

Poems deal with friendship, love, nature, human accomplishment, the relationship between men and women, violence, generosity, and mortality

Carrying on: New and Selected Poems

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Nathan, Leonard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Nathan, Leonard

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Nathan, Leonard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Diary of a Left-Handed Birdwatcher (Harvest Book)

The Poet's Work: An Introduction to Czeslaw Milosz

The Poet’s Work: An Introduction to Czeslaw Milosz

Returning Your Call: Poems (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets, 96)

Returning Your Call: Poems (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets)

Returning Your Call: Poems (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets, 96)

Returning Your Call: Poems (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets, 96)

The Day the Perfect Speakers Left (Wesleyan Poetry Program)

Carrying on: New & Selected Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

Carrying on: New and Selected Poems