The Bars of Atlantis: Selected Essays

Thislandmarkcollectionofessaysbyoneoftheworld'sgreatestlivingauthorsmakesDursGrünbein'swide-rangingandmultifacetedproseavailableinEnglishforthefirsttime,andisawelcomecomplementtoAshesforBreakfast,hisfirstbook-lengthcollectionofpoetryinEnglish.Coveringtwodecades,TheBarsofAtlantisunfurlstheentirebreadthanddepthofGrünbein'sessayisticgenius.MemoiristicandautobiographicalpiecesthatintroduceGrünbein,themanandtheauthor,andtellthestoryofthemakingofapoetandthinkertowardtheendofacenturymarkedbyglobalpoliticalstrife,unprecedentedhumansuffering,longdecadesoftotalitarianrule,and,initsfinalquarter,thedawnofanew,post?CColdWarworldorder;essaysthatfocusonGrünbein'smajorphilosophicalandaestheticconcerns,suchastheintersectionofartandscience,literatureandbiology;extendedreflectionsontheexistential,cultural,political,andethicalimportofthepoet'scraftinthecontemporaryworld;and,finally,explorationsofthemeaningofclassicalantiquityforthepresent?Dallcontributetomaking.