Popa is one of the most amazing poets I have ever read. I am often skeptical about translations of Slavic poetry into English, but these are truly surpurb. Anne Pennington, the primary translator, worked very closely with Popa until her death in 1981 (in fact, the first poem is a tribute to her). She strove to communicate Popa's unique imagery and themes, not to hold on to rhythms and sounds solely belonging to the original. His poetry is metaphorically very complex, but as he oversaw nearly all of the translations, this volume is as good as you'll get without learning Serbian. I read about half of the 400-odd pages in one sitting. Absolutely wonderful.

This is an incredible collection of poetry by Vasko Popa -- an incredible European poet. The poems are very surreal; it is required to read each poem at least three times in order to grasp its meaning. Each poem has a beautiful and strange world of its own. Plus, there is a lot of magical realism in this book, which is something I always look for in literature.

My favorite Popa poems are "Ashes," "Hunters," and "Heaven's Ring." I also love the Little Box series, especially "The Owners of the Little Box," "The Tenants of the Little Box," and "The Enemies of the Little Box."

This is -- by no stretch of doubt -- the best book of poetry I have ever owned. Charles Simic's translation is excellent; I marvel at his ability to convert beautiful poems into a language that I can appreciate and understand. I highly recommend this incredible book!