The Book for My Brother

This newest collection of poems from Tomaz Šalamun is exuberant, ambitious, and full of surprises. Here the devil is encountered and understood- *I see the devil's head, people, I see his whole body . . .* *he longs for innocence, as we do.* *Here the poet juggles many tones, languages, and countries. Desire is evoked as both frustrating and exhilarating-* *I'm watered by longing, knocking my* *head into the wall, on the ground, or I burn, burn,* *folded up on the couch.* *And memory comes back to remind us of the laws and experiences of childhood-* *Once again you are let loose in the sea* *only after five o'clock in the afternoon to take* *a dose of sunlight like the ticking of the clock.* At once daring and clear-voiced, The Book for My Brother is an extraordinary achievement.