On Grief and Reason

In this richly diverse collection of essays, Joseph Brodsky casts a reflective eye on his experiences of early life in Russia and exile in America. With dazzling erudition, he explores subjects as varied as the dynamic of poetry, the nature of history and the plight of the emigre writer. There is also the humorous tale of a disastrous trip to Brazil, advice to students, a homag...

In this richly diverse collection of essays, Joseph Brodsky casts a reflective eye on his experiences of early life in Russia and exile in America. With dazzling erudition, he explores subjects as varied as the dynamic of poetry, the nature of history and the plight of the emigre writer. There is also the humorous tale of a disastrous trip to Brazil, advice to students, a homage to Marcus Aurelius and studies of Robert Frost, Thomas Hardy, Horace and others. The second volume of essays following "Less Than One", this collection includes Brodsky's 1987 Nobel Lecture, 'Uncommon Visage'.

Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996) went to the United States in 1972 as an involuntary exile from the Soviet Union. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987 and served as poet laureate of the United States in 1991 and 1992. He was the author of three books of poems in English, six books of poems in Russian, and three books of essays in English. Ann Kjellberg is the literary ex...

Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996) went to the United States in 1972 as an involuntary exile from the Soviet Union. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987 and served as poet laureate of the United States in 1991 and 1992. He was the author of three books of poems in English, six books of poems in Russian, and three books of essays in English. Ann Kjellberg is the literary executor of Joseph Brodsky.