CANVAS

"The 'canvas' in the title of this new collection by Polish poet Zagajewski refers primarily to the artist's canvas, on which surreal images and memorable collections of dreamlike objects are created. A portrait of Europe emerges--Europe as the home of Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, Schubert, and Bruckner, of Gothic cathedrals with their 'ribs of granite,' of philosophers like Nietzsche with his 'head like a bullet.' Zagajewski is a born phrase-maker, inventing 'tents of trees' and the 'weasels' of memory. And he wisely recognizes that the canvas can also be a shroud, because in the end everyone must swallow 'a dose of death.' Beautifully translated and recommended for all larger collections."--Library Journal