Exploring the intersection of personal experience and historical events, this collection of poems delves into themes of genocide, exile, and inevitable loss. The poet examines significant figures and moments, from Tamerlane to Pol Pot, while reflecting on Penelope's acceptance of Odysseus's return. Each piece challenges the fragile relationship between life and art, offering a poignant commentary on the human condition through a historical lens.
The Burning World showcases Sherod Santos' intense poetic voice, drawing comparisons to the depth of Rilke. This collection explores profound themes and emotions, inviting readers into a vivid landscape of thought and feeling. Through his masterful use of language, Santos captures the complexities of existence, making each poem a compelling journey into the human experience.
The collection features "Elegy for My Sister," a poignant sequence of poems reflecting on the poet's sister's suicide, capturing the fragments of her life. Santos expands this elegiac theme to encompass broader mythological and historical contexts, examining how personal loss intertwines with the traumatic conditions of contemporary existence. Through this exploration, the poet reveals the profound impact of individual grief against the backdrop of a tumultuous century.
Exploring the intersection of personal experiences and historical events, this collection of poems delves into themes of genocide, exile, and loss. The poet examines the haunting legacies of figures from Tamerlane to Pol Pot while reflecting on Penelope's acceptance of Odysseus's return. Each poem serves as a poignant exploration of the fragile relationship between life and art, capturing the emotional weight of these profound moments in history and personal reflection.
Winner of the Umhoefer Prize: "A magnificent achievement, better, more animated, buoyant, and richly articulated than any other version I know."―Anthony Hecht Sherod Santos's new translation of classical poems answers Rosetti's mandate that "the only true motive for putting poetry into a fresh language must be to endow a fresh nation…with one more possession of beauty." Arranged into four periods―Classical, Hellenic, Roman, and Early Byzantine― Greek Lyric Poetry features works by such ancient masters as Xenophanes, Callimachus, Sappho, and Simonides. For the general reader as well as for poets and lovers of poetry, the translations celebrate the marvelous slips and illuminating reconfigurations that occur when a poet in the present communes with poets in the past.
This collection showcases the poet's fearless exploration of challenging themes such as love, madness, and genocide, drawn from five of their previous works. Recognized with the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the poet's powerful verses reflect a deep engagement with complex human experiences and societal issues.
Sherod Santos brilliantly negotiates the provinces of poetry and prose, of imagination and memoir.... As enigmatic as Borges, and beautiful in a way only Santos can be. -David Baker
Through a poetic lens, the narrative weaves together fiction, memoir, and introspective reflections, exploring the aftermath of a personal breakdown. It captures fragmented moments and emotions, offering a meditative journey that invites readers to contemplate resilience and healing in the face of adversity.