review - distant lands anthology

7/23/2019 Review - Distant Lands Anthology

1/5

Kevin Dublin

Distant Lands: An Anthology of Poets Who Dont Exist| Agnieszka Kuciak

Translated by Karen Kovacik

ISBN: 97!"!9#$%"&!'$!&( "% )ages

*+ite ,ine ,ress( %&"#( -"7

Agnieszka Kuciak is a ,olis+ )oet and translator o. Italian /riters0

Distant Lands: An Anthology of Poets who Don't Exist (Dalekie Kraje) is +er

second collection o. )oetry1 it /as 2rst )ublis+ed in %&&$( and is available

.or t+e 2rst ti3e in 4nglis+ 5translated by Karen Kovacik6 .ro3 *+ite ,ine

,ress0 er 2rst collection(etardation5etarda!ja)5%&&"6( establis+ed +er

as a strong voice in t+e ,olis+ tradition o. )oetry0 T+is second collection

)ro8ects t+at strong voice( distills it t+roug+ t/enty!one i3agined and

arc+ety)ical )oets0 It establis+es +er as a uniue( eistential voice1 a voice

/+ic+ /e are lucky to no/ able to read in 4nglis+0

T+e rain knocks long on everyt+ing(asking( ; and I say( ;No(not at all0> T+e rain is a 3aster o. ?en0@aybe let loose .ro3 t+e +eavenslike one s+eer +and cla))ing=ave a seat and listento t+is lesson on t+e +ouse:Whoe"er doesnt tend his gardenwill #e o"err$n #y a wild% wild god&

In vain( re)eat a.ter +i3t+e tiny( uiet ;t+at /ill destroy you0 5%'6

;T+e rain knocks long on everyt+ing> by Nobody( t+e second )oe3 in

t+e 2rst seuence o.Distant Landsis a great ea3)le o. t+at eistential

7/23/2019 Review - Distant Lands Anthology

2/5

Kevin Dublin

voice0 It is )re)ares t+e lens t+at t+e reader begins to ea3ine t+e

collection 3aybe even 3ore so t+an t+e o)ening )oe3 t+at )recedes it0

Nobody beco3es a stand!in .or +o/ certain critics 3ig+t .eel about

eistential lyric )oets /+o are inuenced by 4astern )+iloso)+y0 T+is

arc+ety)e is t+e 3ost evident o. t+e eistentialis3 t+roug+out0 e

;believes in t+e +oly ba)tis3 o. ink( t+e sacra3ent o. )oetry readings( t+e

)oe3 as )enance( and t+e grace t+at co3es .ro3 literary )rizes0 e /rites(

+o/ever( only about Fod> 5"760 In t+is descri)tion( /e +ave a )oet /+o

3ig+t be a s)iritual su)ervisor and 3ediu3 bet/een t+e +oly /orld o.

)oetry and t+e secular0 e eists in t+is li3inal s)ace to 3ake connections

.or us0 e 3ig+t be an arc+ety)e .or +is na3esake Gzesla/ @ilosz( or could

even be a co3bination o. a )oet like Ferard @anley o)kins( FeoHrey ill(

u3i( or any )oet /+o 3ig+t use 3ystic i3agery and 3editation as a tro)e0

N0 @ilosz /rites about a landsca)e bet/een +ills and stone!)ines( ;In

silence( t+e cicadas intone so3e eternal verse0 J ro3 t+e de)t+s o. a /ell

7/23/2019 Review - Distant Lands Anthology

3/5

Kevin Dublin

+allo/ed out J o. eaven( t+e long addioo. a bell is /rung> and continues(

;L yet everyt+ing can be .ound t+ere: J .ragrances and incantations and

unicorns J o. language0 T+ere /+at d/ells J see3s so )ro.use( it doesnt

+ave to be> 5%960 T+is )oe3 is o)en to inter)retation as a state3ent o.

)oetics 5like 6 or a vie/ on li.e t+roug+ religious r+etoric

5like *illia3 Gullen Bryants ;T+anato)sis>6( but in t+e contet o. t+is

collection as a )oe3 /ritten by t+is i3agined arc+ety)e translated into

4nglis+( it could also be inter)reted as a 3eta!)oetic state3ent on

translation )er+a)s akin to ills ;T+e Songbook o. Sebastian Arrurruz>

.ro3King Log5"9E6 /+ic+ contains ;translations> o. lines by and 3akes

re.erence to a S)anis+ )oet /+o doesnt eist0

T+e collection could be analyzed t+roug+ 3any lenses because Kuciak

is +y)er!a/are o. +er readers0 S+e kno/s t+at in a global age o. i33ediacy(

attention s)ans are s+orter( tastes are eclectic( and )olyvocality is en vogue0

Not only t+at( but t+e density o. /+ats going on in t+e )oe3s and t+e

contet o. t+e book 5translated or ot+er/ise6 is /ort+y o. sc+olars+i)0 T+is

is so3et+ing t+at doesnt +urt t+e disse3ination o. a tet0 I e)ect Kuciaks

/ork to dra/ t+e attention o. young sc+olars o. literature and a /ide range

o. )oets /+o understand t+e co3)leities o.Distant Lands( but /+at 3akes

it even 3ore re3arkable is t+at I e)ect it could dra/ t+e attention o. a

)oetry reading )ublic /+o 3ig+t not necessarily /rite )oetry because t+e

)oe3s are 3ostly accessible0 T+is is because Kuciak never takes +ersel. too

seriously0 u3or is encountered in several o. t+e )oe3s 5;Italian Mover(>

7/23/2019 Review - Distant Lands Anthology

4/5

Kevin Dublin

;,ortrait(> and ;In t+e ouse o. t+e ,syc+e>6( and is evident in nearly all o.

t+e biogra)+ies1 t+e sensationalis3 leans so3e o. t+e )oets to/ard )arody0

,isces( Doctus( and Sunny are a3ong t+e .unniest o. t+e biogra)+ies0 ere

is Sunnys bio:

SNN

7/23/2019 Review - Distant Lands Anthology

5/5

Kevin Dublin

devices Kuciak uses to 3ake .or3 .ollo/ content0 *+ile so3e critics could

label t+e lyrics at( t+ere are indeed 3o3ents t+at break t+roug+ and sing(

suc+ as ;By Bernini> in t+e section ;*aiting .or Blondes> by Myric ,oet:

000 S+es distant no/( al/ays eluding1in 3arble( s+e transitions to a laurel evading

a god( as /ell as your body and gaze0S+e ees ever dee)er into +eavens +aze

beyond se0 Met t+e angel in t+e scul)ted airca)ture t+is 3arble ny3)+ in /ild )rayer0 5$6

*+ile it 3ig+t be a .air critiue to say t+e collection is so3eti3es ;too

clever(> it could 8ust as easily be said t+at t+e )oet is /inking at t+e reader

t+roug+ t+e guise o. a global internet culture /it+ its social 3edia and /eb

%0$ t+at is all about sel.!3yt+ology1 s+es co33enting on )o)ular culture0

T+is also etends to t+e clai3 o. digestibility0 T+e age o. i33ediacy al3ost

necessitates t+e uick consu3)tion o. in.or3ation in s3aller bits1 and t+at

is /+y t+e .au ant+ology .or3 /orks so /ell0

Des)ite any o. t+ese criticis3s( t+e 3ost evident saving grace is

Distant Landsuniueness0 Kovaciks translation o. Kuciak 3akes readers

laug+( conte3)late( and by t+e end( 2nally /onder( ;*+y arent /e reading

3ore ,olis+ )oetry=>