Selected Poems by Rolf Aggestam Translated by Lars Nordström and Erland Anderson

BILINGUAL EDITION

"Now, the Aggestam poems at last... The poems have a marvelous transparency to them. I like the real variety here."
        W.S. Merwin

"I have read these translations of Rolf Aggestam's poetry with genuine pleasure. Aggestam's work is diverse-fanciful, lyrical, philosophical  and contains qualities I haven't seen in other modern Swedish poets."
      Vern Rutsala

"Aggestam draws again and again in an energetic style that often defies conventional structure. Many of the poems employ lineation that radiates, visually, across the page. And verbally, tonally, all of these poems radiate confidence. Strength. Thanks to Nordström and Anderson's skillful translation, the voice in these poems feels totally natural, spontaneous, and direct: casual without being slack. I forget I am reading translations here, but feel, instead, I am being addressed in an idiom my American ear accepts without question. Contrary to what the title of this book suggests, the poems within it evoke visions that will last, through darkness, in spite of darkness. These poems affirm continuity: of life, of hope."
      Ingrid Wendt, Calapooya Collage

"Aggestam's poetry is well translated into an idiomatic English that preserves the tone of the original Swedish to the extent that it is possible. The poetry will surely appeal to those who grieve upon experiencing a new commercial society's elbowing in on a more serene way of life with more respect for nature. Aggestam is, however, never shrill or trivial, for he realizes the complexity of issues and is, thus, a compelling commentator on the passing of time and its often devastating effects. He is not the defeatist mourning the loss of the past, but rather a realist deeply infatuated with life."
      N. Ingwersen, Choice