At once kind and hilarious, this compilation of the Nobel Prize-winning poet's advice to writers is illustrated with her own marvelous collages

In this witty "how-to" guide, Wislawa Szymborska has nothing but sympathy for the labors of would-be writers generally: "I myself started out with rotten poetry and stories," she confesses in this collection of pieces culled from the advice she gave -- anonymously -- for many years in the well-known Polish journal Literary Life.

She returns time and again to the mundane business of writing poetry properly, that is to say, painstakingly and sparingly. "I sigh to be a poet," Miss A. P. from Bialogard exclaims. "I groan to be an editor," Szymborska responds.

Szymborska stubbornly insists on poetry's "prosaic side": "Let's take the wings off and try writing on foot, shall we?" This delightful compilation, translated by the peerless Clare Cavanagh, will delight readers and writers alike.

Perhaps you could learn to love in prose.

• We started tracking this book on January 5, 2022.
• This book was $9.15 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 9 times in the past 1,374 days.
• The current price of this book is $17.95 last checked 6 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $9.99.
• The lowest price to date was $9.15 last reached on January 5, 2022.
• This book has been $9.15 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $17.95 last reached on October 9, 2025.
• This book has been $17.95 2 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its highest price since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionLiterary CriticismSubjects & ThemesPoetry
• Literature & FictionWorld LiteratureEastern European

• Publication Date: October 5, 2021
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 107 Pages
• File Size: 67 KB