Greetings: Selected Poems

by: Hugo Claus; translated from the Dutch by John Irons

Published by: Harcourt

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Hugo Claus has been hailed as one of the most important voices in the contemporary Dutch language. Greetings: Selected Poems is Claus' first book to appear in English.

The selected poems are a varied lot. They cover everything from the two world wars, love, family life, animals and toy trains. My personal favorites are Bitter Tastes and Elephant.

Claus' poems evoke a wide range of emotions and awake different senses in the reader, depending on the subject matter, Some of his poems are irreverent, others disturbing, and a number are edgy and raw.

Those who are passionate about poetry and the written word--how words feel and sound--will enjoy the poems depth of emotion.

Armchair Interviews says: Greetings: Selected Poems is a study in passion.