A Ballad for Metka Krašovec

by Tomaž Šalamun, Michael Biggins (Translator)

Tomaž Šalamun was one of the most influential and prolific poets in Central Europe over the past few decades. Thanks to the translation of his work, he also received wide international acclaim. A number of volumes of his poetry have been published in English, yet A Ballad for Metka Krašovec, originally published in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1981 at the mid-point of Šalamun’s career, is considered to be seminal in his oeuvre, not least for the influence it has had on younger poets both in his home country and abroad. The first time a complete single volume of Šalamun’s poetry was published in English translation, it is characterized by often striking imagery and a sexual turmoil that is pervasive, offering readers a unique opportunity to glimpse the author at a particular stage in his life and creative development. A Ballad for Metka Krašovec ranges from the incantatory and gnomic to reflections on Šalamun's lovers, family, and country to narrative-style recollections of stays in Mexico and the United States.

Genres: Poetry

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Tomaž Šalamun was a Slovenian poet, who has had books translated into most of the European languages. He lived in Ljubljana and occasionally teaches in the USA. His recent books in English are The Book for My Brother, Row, and Woods and Chalices.

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening poems are fragments with disparate images and ideas, gradually becoming more intimate, concrete and accessible. I think it is likely that much of the magic of Tomaz Salamun is lost in the English translation but regardless I found quite a few stunners in this collection.






& thank you Henry

[Peycho Kanev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Dostoevsky, for whom consciousness was disease and salvation, Salamun celebrates art as both punishment and transcendence. Poetic vision assaults whoever would escape vital living . . . Imagining Salamun's wives and lovers, male and female, Ballad conflates and celebrates unrestricted art and love.

[Cristian Lagunas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ratos incomprensibles, estos poemas tienen sus mejores momentos cuando el autor se atreve a escarbar en lo personal. Casi como una historia cifrada entre tres países (Eslovenia, México y Estados Unidos), Šalamun se debate entre el amor por su esposa e hijos en Europa y el amor por su amante, Alejandro, en México. El resto son múltiples estilos, múltiples atrevimientos.

[Dubravka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan 😒

[Zelda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked was his juxtaposition of lyric and narrative poetry, that he didn't get caught in that either/or and took the liberty to do both. And the surprise of his lyrics, how they reminded me of Neruda's book of questions, busting up logic, opening that door. I was struck by the ego in the book, by his harems and the idea of poetic license, not in poetry but in life. As if being a poet means you are only accountable to exposing yourself to experience and following your impulses at the expense of all else, how throughout the book his wife was the foil, the way a high school class treats a substitute teacher. The tension between this and the fact that the book is dedicated to her and in a sense he's giving all of himself, without sensoring, all that he loves.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

i picked up a signed copy in ljubljana, and since a lot of these poems are surprisngly personal for tomaz, it adds another layer of seed. Reading his work helps me write. Just coming across individual words that he chooses can send me off on one hour exercises; it's like he drops plumblines for other writers.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, delicate book. Poems written around his love for Metka, includes his love for so many others, his visits outside of Slovenia, where Metka waits and paints ... much longing, disguise, betrayal, and the daily stuff of thoughts.

[Kokeshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems are quite raw, but still accessible. These are poems describing the powerful moments of daily life that many, if they are actually awake to their own feelings, have felt. I loved the honesty of the poems. A delight to sit, read, and meditate on these poems. Really great work.

[Violetta E. Ruiz Cavazos · Rating 4 out of 5]

leí la traducción de Xavier Farré e intuyo que hay algo por ahí que no termina de amarrar.