Alejandra Pizarnik, born in Buenos Aires to Russian parents who fled Europe and the Nazi Holocaust, was destined for literary greatness as well as an early death. Her work is characterized by a profound engagement with themes of nothingness and ecstasy, where life and art merge in an ultimate experience. Pizarnik's writing is an exploration of the furthest reaches of human experience, where the compulsion to head for the 'bottom' becomes a metaphor for poetic fulfillment. Her aspiration to make the body of the poem with her own body reflects a lifelong obsession with fusing art and being at the edge of the abyss.
Set against the backdrop of Paris, where the author resided for four years, this significant work marks Alejandra Pizarnik's emergence as a mature poet in 1962. Recognized as a prominent voice in 20th-century Latin American literature, Pizarnik's writing delves into profound themes, showcasing her unique poetic style and emotional depth.
A beautifully produced and exquisitely translated edition of French poems by "the best exponent of the poetry of introversion and metaphorical delirium" (Italo Calvino)
The first full-length collection in English by one of Latin America's most significant twentieth-century poets.
The first book of poems by Pizarnik to be published in its entirety in the U.S., poetry at the edge of impossibility.