Poetry. Bilingual Edition. Translated from the German by Maxine Chernoff and Paul Hoover. This new bilingual edition of SELECTED POEMS OF FRIEDRICH HÖLDERLIN has the clarity of Richard Sieburth's translations, while representing, like Michael Hamburger, all the major forms and periods of Hölderlin's production. Thanks to this new translation, contemporary readers will be able to see Holderlin's central position in the development of modern poetry, and why the later works are considered to be strangely prophetic of current modern and postmodern tendencies. Revealing the full poetic force of Hölderlin's work, this translation demonstrates why he is considered one of the world's greatest poets (1770-1843), the foundational poet of European Romanticism, and an influence upon Nietzsche, Hegel, Rilke, and Heidegger. Included, as preface to the poems, is a comprehensive introduction by the translators. "This is a book to be treasured"—John Ashbery.

Author City: Tuebingen GER

Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (20 March 1770—6 June 1843) was a major German lyric poet. His work bridges the Classical and Romantic schools. Having spent most of his life tormented by mental illness, he suffered great loneliness, and often spent his time playing the piano, drawing, reading, writing, and enjoyed traveling when he had the chance.

Reviews and Other Links
Publishers Weekly
Ron Slate @ On the Seawall
Francisco Guevara @ Words Without Borders
audio: Chernoff and Hoover reading @ Moe's Books in Berkeley, CA [mp3]