Georg Trakl was an Austrian poet, considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. His early works show the influence of Symbolism, but he soon developed his own unique style. Trakl became known for his dark, introspective poetry, which often deals with themes of death, decay, and loneliness. His masterful use of imagery and the musicality of his verse have secured his place among the key figures of 20th-century German-language poetry.
Georg Trakl, a prominent figure in early twentieth-century Austro-German expressionism, explores themes of disintegration, death, and decay in his poetry. His work is characterized by nightmarish visions that reflect a world stripped of faith and hope. Yet, amidst this darkness, Trakl finds fleeting beauty often linked to erotic and familial connections, suggesting that such beauty emerges only in stark contrast to the horrors of existence. His poems serve as a haunting testament to the complexities of life and death.
Georg Trakl's poetry, marked by its unique voice, attracted a diverse audience, including influential philosophers like Heidegger and Wittgenstein, as well as notable writers such as Beckett, Rilke, and Walser. His work also resonated with composers Webern and Hindemith, highlighting its profound impact across various artistic disciplines. Trakl's brief life (1887-1914) and the depth of his expression continue to inspire admiration and analysis in literary and philosophical circles.
A new translation by acclaimed poet Will Stone of the visionary Austrian poet Georg Trakl In Georg Trakl's brief, tragic life he produced a body of work of intense visual power. Dense, imagistic and full of unnerving symbolism, his poems occupy a critical place in German Expressionism. Until his death on the Eastern Front in 1914, Trakl honed a singular poetic voice to express the horror he saw in the world around him, culminating in the starkly powerful war poems for which he is best known. This edition includes all of Trakl's major poems alongside a judicious selection of the best of his uncollected work, all rendered in vividly clear English by translator and poet Will Stone. With a biography, a critical introduction and a chronology of Trakl's life, this collection promises to reinvigorate interest in this under-appreciated poet.
The work of poet Georg Trakl, a leading Austrian-German expressionist, has been praised by many, including his contemporaries Rainer Maria Rilke and Else Lasker-Schüler, as well as his patron Ludwig Wittgenstein, who famously wrote that while he did not truly understand Trakl's poems, they had the tone of a "truly ingenious person," which pleased him. This difficulty in understanding Trakl's poems is not unique. Since the first publication of his work in 1913, there has been endless discussion about how the verses should be understood, leading to controversies over the most accurate way to translate them. In a refreshing contrast to previous translated collections of Trakl's work, James Reidel is mindful of how the poet himself wished to be read, emphasizing the order and content of the verses to achieve a musical effect. Trakl's verses were also marked by allegiance to both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a fact which Reidel honors with impressive research into the historicity of the poet's language. Collected Poems gathers Trakl's early, middle, and late work, ranging widely, from his haunting prose pieces to his darkly beautiful poems documenting the first bloody weeks of World War I on the Eastern Front.
The work of poet Georg Trakl has been praised by many, including his contemporaries Rainer Maria Rilke and Else Lasker-Schüler, as well as his patron Ludwig Wittgenstein who famously wrote that while he did not truly understand Trakl’s poems, they had the tone of a ‘truly ingenious person’, which pleased him. This selection gathers Trakl’s early, middle and late words, none of it published in book form during his lifetime, ranging from his haunting prose pieces to his darkly beautiful poems documenting the first bloody weeks of the First World War on the Eastern Front. It also includes translations of unpublished poems and significant variants. Interpolated through this comprehensive and chronological selection is a biographical essay that provides more information about Trakl’s gifted and troubled life, especially as it relates to his poetry, as well as the necessary context of his relationship with his sister Grete, whose role as a muse to her brother remains controversial. Trakl’s life was mysterious and fascinating, as is his unmissable poetry in A Skeleton Plays Violin. --
Sebastian Dreaming comprises the second book in James Reidel's Our Trakl series. Published posthumously in the original German in 1915, this is the second and last collection prepared by Trakl himself. Indeed, the Austrian poet may have tied his own fate to it. During his last days in a military hospital, Trakl had politely requested proofs of Sebastian Dreaming from his publisher and waited a week before overdosing on cocaine. He had been told once before that the war, which drove him into madness, had indefinitely postponed his masterpiece. Now the wait is over for Trakl's book to appear separately and in English. Until now translations of the poems from this collection have appeared in selections and complete volumes. Reidel has chosen to present the book individually, as Trakl wanted his book experienced. To achieve this, a certain verisimilitude in these English renderings has been achieved--even omitting the German facing texts is at work here--for which the translator has gone to great lengths, with an eye for seeing Trakl in his time and place, not only as an early modern poet but one whose strange and intriguing language and setting came from another century and still haunt us in ours.
"Poems" is a translation of Georg Trakl's first verse collection, published in 1913, which quickly established him as a prominent figure in Austrian German Expressionism. His work garnered praise from contemporaries like Rainer Maria Rilke and Else Lasker-Schüler, and he received patronage from Ludwig Wittgenstein, who noted the pleasing "tone" of Trakl's poetry, despite not fully understanding it. This blend of pleasure and perplexity continues to characterize the reading of Trakl today, reflecting the ongoing interest in his work and its influence, particularly in translation. Various interpretations of Trakl's poetry have emerged, with each translation akin to scaling a "blue glass mountain" to uncover the "correct" understanding of his verses. This fresh translation marks the first volume in James Reidel's "Our Trakl," commemorating the centenary of Trakl's death in 1914 during World War I. Unlike previous collections, Reidel carefully curates the order and content to evoke a specific effect and musicality, honoring Trakl's artistic vision and his connection to two centuries. The second volume will feature Trakl's second book, "Sebastian Dreaming," with a third volume of poetry and prose to follow.
