The Drug of Art

Lost to the world for decades, Ivan Blatny was, according to the Czech Ministry of Culture, "one of the most significant Czech poets of the twentieth century." Blatny fled Czechoslovakia after the Communist coup in 1948, spending the rest of his life in England. This volume spans fifty years of his career and is notable for being the first major collection of Blatny's work in English, including multi-lingual poems and some poems written mostly or entirely in English. Ouredition includes an Introduction by Veronika Tuckerova, a Foreword by Josef Skvorecky, an Afterword by Antonin Petruzelka, and Working Notes from the translators. "The verses and fate of the poet Ivan Blatny . . . complete the fate of Czech literature, which transcended the borders of the nation, often struggling for survival." --Vaclav Havel