A Skeleton Plays Violin
A Skeleton Plays Violin
By Georg Trakl
Translated by James Reidel
Book Three of Our Trakl
"Striking and still mysterious poems."—New York Review of Books
"Not only a testament to the heavenly spiral of the biographic, and all that it can provide in weight and relief, but a re-envisioning of how that glass mountain may be perceived, in all its archetypal, quest-filled, damnation-evoked glory. The combination of the biographical research and the embodiment of it within the text is incredible."—Yellow Rabbits
Ordered chronologically from 1909 to 1915, A Skeleton Plays Violin collects the work of expressionist poet Georg Trakl (1887-1914,) including unfinished poems and significant variations.
Interpolated through this volume is a biographical essay that provides more information about Trakl's life, especially as it relates to his poetry. The darkness of his work parallels what is known of his lifetime, which was short and plagued by addiction, as well as the tumult of the first world war, which he experienced first-hand as a medic. Included is "Grodek," one of Trakl's most famous works, which is named for the 1914 battle between the Austro-Hungarian and Russian armies.
Although most of his recognition came posthumously, Trakl had significant impact on his contemporaries, such as Else Lasker-Schüler and Ludwig Wittgenstein. His involvement in both the Viennese cultural scene and front-line warfare placed him in some of the most pivotal moments of his era, and his work is an essential member of the expressionist canon.
Hardcover
270 pages
Seagull Books, 2017
5 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
ISBN 9780857424297
Poetry