Koncocoo

Best European Poetry

The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes (Hackett Classics)
"The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Jackson Crawford earned his Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.A.
Reviews
"There's a difference... actually, there's an abyss between a translation and a true, high quality social localization."
"One of the best translations I've seen."
"This is a beautiful translation and interpretation of the Poetic Edda."
"Great translation, I'd recommend to anyone interested in the subject matter."
"Clear, easily readable texts; good background and notes; works well as an introductory text for Norse mythology to undergraduates."
"Excellent work by an excellent Professor."
"Great book."
"Can't wait to dig in."
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Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Eliot’s famous collection of nonsense verse about cats-the inspiration for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. This is an absolutely marvelous rendition of Eliot's poetic classic, written for his godchildren and friends in the 1930s, which inspired the Broadway musical Cats.
Reviews
"This volume was purchased as a gift for my mother and she loved it."
"I love this book!"
"Every cat lover should read this."
"Hate to count the number of these books I have purchased and given away."
"Bought it for my book library because I'm a cat-lover and have long enjoyed one of its poetic tributes to cats, "The Old Gumby Cat"."
"My daughter likes cats and for her birthday she donated this book to her class library."
"This was a book I had to love since I love poetry and I love cats."
"T S. Eliot - long missing from m;y bookcase."
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The Iliad
The great war epic of Western literature, translated by acclaimed classicist Robert Fagles, and featured in the Netflix series The OA Dating to the ninth century B.C., Homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the Trojan War. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope. His translations include Sophocles’s Three Theban Plays , Aeschylus’s Oresteia (nominated for a National Book Award), Homer’s Iliad (winner of the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award by The Academy of American Poets), Homer’s Odyssey , and Virgil's Aeneid . His works include The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy, Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero and His Time and Essays Ancient and Modern (awarded the 1989 PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award).
Reviews
"The paper has a nice texture to it and the edge opposite of the spine is cut in a way that it has an old-world feel to it. There's some beautiful royal-blue foil on the spine which makes for a handsome display on the bookshelf."
"The storyteller is riveting and the perspective of counting dead bodies and listing all their relatives gives one insight into their lives and how different they are to ours."
"Achilles doesn't die, there's no Trojan Horse, and the whole story takes place in a few weeks."
"I thought it would be interesting to read the "classics" like the Iliad, The Odyssey, and the Aeneid."
"Both epics are long (of course); however, the stories are so enthralling that you will not want it to ever end."
"This is a story as old as mankind itself - man trying to find immortality."
"When I was a kid I always thought I'd like The Odyssey more, but with Fagles as the translator they're both great to read."
"An excellent and easily readable version of the Iliad."
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Best French Poetry

Dance Me to the End of Love (Art & Poetry)
10 years ago, Welcome Books published the star of its Art & Poetry Series, Dance Me to the End of Love , a deliriously romantic song by Leonard Cohen that was brilliantly visualized through the sensual paintings of Henri Matisse. He has published two novels, The Favourite Gam e and Beautiful Losers , and ten books of poetry, most recently Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs and Book of Longing .
Reviews
"Beautiful book that artfully depicts one of my favorite songs from Leonard Cohen."
"LOVELY BOOK MELDING OF TWO FAVORITES."
"Lovely pairing of song lyrics with paintings."
"I was hoping there will be many more songs!"
"great together as book!"
"My daughters favorite story time book."
"Beautiful book for the whole family ."
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Best German Poetry

The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes (Hackett Classics)
"The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Jackson Crawford earned his Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.A.
Reviews
"There's a difference... actually, there's an abyss between a translation and a true, high quality social localization."
"One of the best translations I've seen."
"This is a beautiful translation and interpretation of the Poetic Edda."
"Great translation, I'd recommend to anyone interested in the subject matter."
"Clear, easily readable texts; good background and notes; works well as an introductory text for Norse mythology to undergraduates."
"Excellent work by an excellent Professor."
"Great book."
"Can't wait to dig in."
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Best Italian Poetry

The Divine Comedy (The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso)
The authoritative translations of The Inferno , The Purgatorio , and The Paradiso —together in one volume. “I think [Ciardi’s] version of Dante will be in many respects the best we have seen.”—John Crowe Ransom.
Reviews
"I have the Kindle and paperback versions and both are excellent."
"I'm happy to report that Clive James has made even this abstract exploration of light and doctrine (and, I might add, occasionally smug self-righteousness on Dante's part) a fascinating journey. James has chosen an unusual verse form - quatrains, with an abab rhyme scheme - to translate this, but it works well: it moves quickly and smoothly, each line pulling you forward to the next. For example, the "one who made the great refusal" is identified in the verse as Pope Celestine: if you have to pick one among many, that IS the closest to a scholarly consensus; but purists would argue against closing off other possibilities."
"One of the best; I always enjoyed reading it; over and over."
"I wish the verses were numbered as well, but with the Kindle you can search by word and the results give you ample clues as to which canto the word on which the search was performed is located."
"His style is both poetic and dramatic, and while he strives to make the text accessible to a modern reader, he does not make the mistake of cheapening the genius of Dante by making a "modern" translation. And, of course, all the various characters and personalities that Dante encounters in his journey toward and into Heaven are explained (if the reader does not have an extremely solid grasp of Medieval European politics (and how many of us do?"
"But while the architecture of the work was amazing, line by line it was often a hard slog."
"I bought these 3 volumes for a course, which was then postponed indefinitely."
"I buy these books for the cover--the goal is to have all of them--exquisite cloth bound covers by Coralie Bickford Smith--she was featured years ago in Fine Books and her books are worth collecting."
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Best Norse & Icelandic Sagas

The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes (Hackett Classics)
"The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Jackson Crawford earned his Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.A.
Reviews
"There's a difference... actually, there's an abyss between a translation and a true, high quality social localization."
"One of the best translations I've seen."
"This is a beautiful translation and interpretation of the Poetic Edda."
"Great translation, I'd recommend to anyone interested in the subject matter."
"Clear, easily readable texts; good background and notes; works well as an introductory text for Norse mythology to undergraduates."
"Excellent work by an excellent Professor."
"Great book."
"Can't wait to dig in."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Spanish Poetry

The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems (Bilingual Edition) (English and Spanish Edition)
An impressive group of translators that includes Alastair Reid, Stephen Mitchell, Robert Hass, Stephen Kessler and Jack Hirschman, have come together to revisit or completely retranslate the poems; and a handful of previously untranslated works are included as well. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971, his breadth of vision and wide range of themes are extraordinary, and his work continues to inspire new generations of readers and writers.
Reviews
"EXCELLENT poems."
"Adds to my romantic side; spouse appreciates."
"Me encanta!"
"HE writes about my lover."
"was i supposed to receive 4 copies?"
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Best Russian Poetry

Black Book of Poems
Black Book of Poems is the debut title of the Armenian-born writer, Vincent Hunanyan, and is a collection of poems dealing with loss, love, pain, happiness, depression and abandonment. "Black Book of Poems is a collection with a distinct sensibility that gives attention to a wide range of subjects while living up to its disdain for pretension."
Reviews
"Really enjoyed this work, Forgive me Lord, If I were standing at the gate."
"The poems are okay."
"Such an amazing read."
"Good book."
"Such a great little read!"
"loved it!"
"I enjoyed it."
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Best Australia & Oceania Poetry

Pillow Thoughts
Make a cup of tea and let yourself feel. In October 2016 she released the best-selling Poetry collection Pillow Thoughts .
Reviews
"2.5 Stars."
"I LOVE this book."
"This book has put so much into perspective for me."
"I love this book."
"REALLYYY puts me in my feels 😍😩."
"This book is amazing!!!"
"This book has really deep poems."
"Amazing book and came in great shape."
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