Book of Things

From his first book of poems, Chessboards of Hours (1995), Aleteger has been one of Slovenia's most promising poets. The philosophical and lyrical sophistication of his poems, along with his work as a leading book editor and festival organizer, quickly spread teger's reputation beyond the borders of Slovenia. The Book of Things is teger's most widely praised book of poetry and his first American collection. The book consists of fifty poems that look at "e;things"e; (i.e. aspirin, chair, cork) which are transformed by teger's unique poetic alchemy.Translator Brian Henry is a distinguished poet, translator, editor, and critic.From Publishers Weekly:Stegers efforts sometimes bring to mind such Western European figures as Francis Ponge and Craig Raine, who also sought to make household things look new and strange. Yet Steger brings a melancholy Central European sense of history- his objects tend to remember, or cause, great pain: It pours, this poisonous, sweet force, Steger writes of Saliva, Between teeth, when you spit your own little genocide. (Nov.)From Guernica, a Magazine of Art and Politics:It is a rare treat to have an English translation before the ink has dried on the original. By which I mean, a mere five years after the books Slovenian publication, Brian Henry has brought these poems to life for those of us not lucky enough to read Slovenian. Henrys translations are impressive for sheer acrobatics.