New European Poets

In compiling this anthology, general editors Wayne Miller and Kevin Prufer enlisted twenty-two additional regional editors to select these 290 poets, whose writing was first published after 1970. These poets are from every country in Europe, and many of them are published here for the first time in English and in the United States. Poetry translated from more than forty languages is represented, including French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and more regional languages such as Basque, Irish Gaelic, and Sami. Nearly 200 translators—among them John Ashbery, Marilyn Hacker, Michael Hamburger, Siri Hustvedt, Paul Muldoon, Charles Simic, and Derek Walcott—have contributed English versions of more than 400 poems gathered here.

The range of style in New European Poets is exhilarating—from the lyric intimacy of Portuguese poet Rosa Alice Branco to the profane prose poems of Romanian poet Radu Andriescu, from the surrealist bravado of Czech poet Sylvia Fischerová to the survivor's cry of Russia poet Irina Ratushinskaya. This anthology collects some of the very best work of a new generation of poets.

About the Author

Wayne Miller is the author of a book of poems, Only the Senses Sleep, and co-translator of I Don’t Believe in Ghosts by Moikom Zeqo.

Kevin Prufer is the author of six books of poetry and the editor of numerous anthologies.

Review

Praise For New European Poets

"Our goal in putting this anthology was not to pretend to present a comprehensive view of European poetry today—that would be impossible . . . Nonetheless, we felt that it was important to bring this wholly imperfect endeavor to an American audience for three primary reasons: (1) the trajectory of European poetry has continued beyond the European poets known to an American audience; (2) culturally and historically Europe is radically different than it was just a few decades ago, and thus a reexamination of Europe's poetry seems due; and (3) American poetry readers and poets seem to be less engaged with European poetry than they once were, which is a shame . . . [T]he result is an anthology that is, we hope, clear in its intentions, but also kaleidoscopic and unpredictable, reflecting the deep knowledge and sensibilties of a great many committed editors, poets, translators, and nationalities." —From the introduction by Wayne Miller and Kevin Prufer