Thomas Bernhard：Collected Poems (The German List)

BelovedAustrianwriterThomasBernhard(1931–89)beganhiscareerintheearly1950sasapoet.Overthenextdecade,Bernhardwrotethousandsofpoemsandpublishedfourvolumesofintenselywroughtandincreasinglypersonalverse,withsuchtitlesasOnEarthandinHell,InHoraMortis,andUndertheIronoftheMoon.Bernhard’searlypoetry,bearingtheinfluenceofGeorgTrakl,beginswithadeepconnectiontohisAustrianhomeland.Ashispoemssawpublicationandrecognition,BernhardseemedalwaysonthevergeofjoiningtheranksofIngeborgBachmann,PaulCelan,andotheryoungpost-warpoetswritinginGerman.Duringthistime,however,hispoemsbecameincreasinglyobsessive,filledwithanundulantself-pity,counterpointedbyadefamatory,bardicvoiceutterlyestrangedfromhiscountry,allofwhichresultedinamagisterialworkofanti-poetry—onethatrepresentsBernhard’sownharrowingexperience,withtheleitmotifofsuccess–failure,thatmakeshisfictionsuchapleasure.Forallofthesereasons,Bernhard’sCollectedPoems,translatedintoEnglishforthefirsttimebyJamesReidel,isakeytounderstandingtheirascibleblackcomedyfoundinvirtuallyallofBernhard’swritings—evendowntohislastwillandtestament.ThereismuchtobefoundinthesepagesforBernhardfansofeverystripe.Review"FansofBernhardalreadyknowhimforhavinganincrediblyidiosyncratic,hypnotic,philosophicalstyleinhismanynovels,plays,andmassiveautobiography.Thisunprecedented(intheEnglishlanguage)collectionofhispoeticoutputnowoffersanentirelynewvantageonwhatmadeBernhardsuchaclassicwriter.Amajorbook,andalongawaitedone,thisshouldnotbemissed."(LitHub)