Of Entirety Say the Sentence

Brief Description: Published in German as Sage vom Ganzen den Satz by Rimbaud Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Aachen, Germany, copyright 1972. Brief Description: "Sage vom Ganzen den Satz (Of Entirety Say the Sentence) is the first volume of an informal trilogy comprising Ernst Meister's final three books; it is followed by Im Zeitspalt (In Time's Rift) and Wandloser Raum (Wallless Space). While we can't provide notes as thorough and wide-ranging as those available in the German-language critical edition of Meister's poems (Gedichte: Textkritische und kommentierte Ausgabe, published by Wallstein Verlag in 2011), we hope that this introduction will illuminate some of Meister's major concerns during the composition of the poems herein, particularly two events --one an anniversary, the other a tragedy --that occurred in 1970"-- Introduction. Marc Notes: Published in German as Sage vom Ganzen den Satz by Rimbaud Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Aachen, Germany, copyright 1972.; Sage vom Ganzen den Satz (Of Entirety Say the Sentence) is the first volume of an informal trilogy comprising Ernst Meister's final three books;it is followed by Im Zeitspalt (In Time's Rift) and Wandloser Raum (Wallless Space). While we can't provide notes as thorough and wide-ranging as those available in the German-language critical edition of Meister's poems (Gedichte: Textkritische und kommentierte Ausgabe, published by Wallstein Verlag in 2011), we hope that this introduction will illuminate some of Meister's major concerns during the composition of the poems herein, particularly two events --one an anniversary, the other a tragedy --that occurred in 1970-- Introduction. Biographical Note: Ernst Meister (1911-1979) was born in Hagen, Germany, and studied first theology, then literature, art history, and philosophy (the latter under Karl Lowith and Hans-Georg Gadamer) at various German universities. After the publication of his first book in 1932, he published no poetry for two decades, a silent spell that ultimately gave way to the prolific last third of his life, over the course of which he produced more than sixteen volumes of verse as well as numerous other literary and visual works. Often compared to Paul Celan because of the brevity and difficulty of his poems, Meister tends toward a more abstract existentialism that renders his work both intensely emotional and inimitably strange. Having written outside the dominant literary circles of his time, he remains relatively unknown, though he was posthumously awarded the most prestigious award for German literature, the Georg Buchner Prize, having been informed of the honor just days before his death. Graham Foust and Samuel Frederick have translated Meister's informal trilogy which includes "In Time's Rift" (Wave Books, 2012), "Wallless Space" (Wave Books, 2014) and "Of Entirety Say the Sentence" (Wave Books, 2015). Graham Foust is the author of several collections of poetry, including "A Mouth in California" (Flood Editions, 2009) and "To Anacreon in Heaven and Other Poems" (Flood Editions, April 2013). He teaches at the University of Denver. With Samuel Frederick, he has translated three volumes of poetry by Ernst Meister, including "In Time s Rift" (Wave Books, 2012), "Wallless Space" (Wave Books, 2014), and "Of Entirety Say the Sentence" (Wave Books, 2015). Samuel Frederick is the author of "Narratives Unsettled: Digression in Robert Walser, Thomas Bernhard, and Adalbert Stifter" (Northwestern University Press, 2012). He is an assistant professor of German at the Pennsylvania State University. With Graham Foust he has translated three volumes of poetry by Ernst Meister, including "In Time s Rift" (Wave Books, 2012), "Wallless Space" (Wave Books, 2014), and "Of Entirety Say the Sentence" (Wave Books, 2015)."Publisher Marketing:"Like his subject matter Meister's writing is ominous, intangible and inescapable.""Publishers Weekly""The translators of "Wallless Space "were brave to take on Meister's dense and unusual poetry, and so far their work has been excellent. . . . Foust and Frederick have preserved the phonetic elements of Meister's verseassonance, alliteration, rhyme, anaphorawithout sacrificing the poet's distilled diction and powerfully short dimeter and trimeter lines."Christopher Shannon, "Words Without Borders"One of the last books by post-war German poet and Georg Buchner Prize winner Ernst Meisterand the third to be translated into English by poet Graham Foust and scholar Samuel Frederick"Of Entirety Say the Sentence "is his most expansive book. With rich allusions to Holderlin and Celan, these poems are staggering in their scope of mortality, time, and infinity."Mankindhas his song to sing, and even though I amshaken by the world's silence, I don't want to fling anythingover the crown of his head."Ernst Meister (1911-1979) was born in Hagen, Germany. He was posthumously awarded the most prestigious award for German literature, the Georg Buchner Prize. Graham Foust is the author of several collections of poetry, including "To Anacreon in Heaven and Other Poems "(Flood Editions, April 2013). He teaches at the University of Denver. Samuel Frederick is the author of "Narratives Unsettled: Digression in Robert Walser," " Thomas Bernhard," and "Adalbert Stifter "(Northwestern University Press, 2012). He is an assistant professor of German at the Pennsylvania State University." Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 09/21/2015 (EAN 9781940696171, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Foust, Graham Graham Foust was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is the author of five books of poetry, including TO ANACREON IN HEAVEN AND OTHER POEMS (Flood Editions, 2013), A MOUTH IN CALIFORNIA (Flood Editions, 2009), and NECESSARY STRANGER (Flood Editions, 2007). With Samuel Frederick, he is also the translator of Ernst Meister's IN TIME'S RIFT (Wave Books, 2012). He teaches in the English department at University of Denver.