This poet clearly experiences the natural world as a vital part of life. The reader shares his experience through the power and beauty of his imagery. He also has a gift for finding and expressing the poetry in life's everyday events. This may involve the humor in the first confession of a young Catholic boy, the joy in taking a shower in winter, or an exquisitely expressed pathos for young children caught in the throes of shame. I return to the poems often, and each time find something new to appreciate.

This poet clearly experiences the natural world as a vital part of life. The reader shares in his experience through the power and beauty of his imagery. He also has a gift for finding and expressing the poetic quality in the everyday events of life. This may include humor in the first confession of a young Catholic boy, joy in taking a shower in the winter, or an exquisitely expressed pathos for young children caught in the throes of shame. I return to the poems often, and each time find something new to appreciate.

This is the best and most moving account I've ever read of life in a concentration camp, better by far than Primo Levi, better even than Viktor Frankl, and better even than One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, all of which are saying a lot. The book pulled me into the daily life in a way I've not encountered so strongly before. Antelme has a gift for providing details that immerse the reader in the experience, and he has a novelist's skill with characterization. This is a powerful, meaningful work.