{"product_id":"9780374530464","title":"Legends of Modernity : Essays and Letters from Occupied Poland, 1942-1943","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eLegends of Modernity\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Czeslaw Milosz\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLegends of Modernity\u003c\/i\u003e, now available in English for the first time, brings together some of Czeslaw Milosz's early essays and letters, composed in German-occupied Warsaw during the winter of 1942-43.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Why did the European spirit succumb to such a devastating fiasco?\" the young Milosz asks. Half a century later, when \u003ci\u003eLegends of Modernity\u003c\/i\u003e saw its first publication in Poland, Milosz said: \"If everything inside you is agitation, hatred, and despair, write measured, perfectly calm sentences...\" While the essays here reflect a \"perfect calm,\" the accompanying contemporaneous exchange of letters between Milosz and Jerzy Andrzejewski express the raw emotions of \"agitation, hatred and despair\" experienced by these two close friends struggling to understand the proximate causes of this debacle of western civilization, and the relevance, if any, of the teachings of the Catholic church. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePassionate, poignant, and compelling, \u003ci\u003eLegends of Modernity\u003c\/i\u003e is a deeply moving insight into the mind and emotions of one of the greatest writers of our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A giant elusive in our midst.” —\u003ci\u003eJohn Updike, The New Yorker on 'To Begin Where I Am'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Extraordinary...These 400 pages or so document the development, over seven decades, of a great mind.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Economist on 'To Begin Where I Am'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eTo Begin Where I Am \u003c\/i\u003ebears witness to Milosz's lifetime of toil in the fields of memory, faith, and art.” —\u003ci\u003eAdam Kirsch, Bookforum on 'To Begin Where I Am'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Splendid...\u003ci\u003eMilosz's ABC's\u003c\/i\u003e is a benedictory text, an alphabetical rescue operation, a testimonial to those who have suffered and gone before us, a hymn to the everlasting marvel and mystery of human existence...Milosz [is] arguably the greatest living poet.” —\u003ci\u003eEdward Hirsch, The New York Times Book Review on 'Milosz's ABC's'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Eloquent...A remarkable fusion of passion and balance.” —\u003ci\u003eRichard Eder, The New York Times on 'Milosz's ABC's'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Few writers in our time can rival Milosz's ability to render justice to the strange spectacle of the world. We should be grateful for the wisdom of his extraordinary life.” —\u003ci\u003eJaroslaw Anders, Los Angeles Times Book Review on 'Milosz's ABC's'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780374530464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Farrar, Straus and Giroux","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40660328153294,"sku":"9780374530464","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_1a39c81e-ac4f-4941-83ac-c28599ec2f00.jpg?v=1639537765","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780374530464","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}