A Wake for the Living

Rating:
Summary: Kindred Poets
Review: I never expected to find a kindred spirit in Eastern Europe.

Radmila Lazic is a contemporary Serbian poet and the author of six poetry collections. She's edited two anthologies -- one of women's poetry, the other of anti-war letters -- and founded the journal, Profemina.

Until Nov. 23, 2003, I'd never heard of her.

Each year on my birthday, I go out to dinner, see a movie and buy a book of poetry. Finding the book is always my favorite activity. I enter the bookstore and amble over to the poetry shelves. After perusing through my favorites (Rilke, Poe, Gallagher, Frost, Keats, Shelley, Dickinson), I close my eyes and find a spot that feels right. Then I search the spines for a title that interests me. When I find one, I pull it out and flip through its pages, reading snippets of verse and rhyme to see if the words connect with me. The hunt continues until I find a dark jewel.

"A Wake for the Living," Lazic's first book of poetry translated from Serbian to English, was the third title I selected from the shelves this year. Within moments, I knew I needed to own this book.

Her writing was blunt, honest and pure. It was clear she understood my thoughts from thousands of miles away.