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 myhead 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 seaonly after five o'clock in the afternoon to takea dose of sunlight like the ticking of the clock.At once daring and clear-voiced, The Book for My Brother is an extraordinary achievement.