Poems from Ish River Country: Collected Poems and Translations [B1316]

2005 PB in excellent condition. Poems from Ish River Country is a posthumous collection of the complete poems of Washington State poet, painter and calligrapher Robert Sund. Mr. Sund's few published volumes of poetry and frequent public readings established his reputation as one of the most distinctive poetic voices of the Pacific Northwest. Included here are the poet's long out of print and award-winning collections, Bunch Grass, which gave literary voice to the rolling wheat country east of the Cascade Mountains in his native Washington State, and Ish River, which celebrated the misty, riverine landscape of the Puget Sound country. But the greater part of this collection contains poems unpublished during the poet's lifetime or published only in very limited editions. There is also a generous selection of his translations, from Issa, Buson, Basho, and most especially from the Swedish poet Rabbe Enckell, with whom Mr. Sund felt a close affinity.

Poet and painter Robert Sund (1929-2001) grew up on a small farm in Washington's Chehalis Valley and studied with poet Theordore Roethke at the University of Washington. His poetry reflects a deep, lifelong engagement with landscape and community.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "What an experience. Poems from Ish River Country will be on my shelf when people have to clean up my messes after I die."; "I loved feeling privy to Sund's experiences of and connections with the land I now call home. I loved his attention to seemingly small things, how he proves they matter, even in their simplicity. Best of all, this collection helped me remember that I - a prose reader and writer - can love poetry, and more, it inspired me to join in the conversation and write my own distilled moments and brief meditations. What a huge gift."; "What IS "Ish River? That was my question when I first saw this book. Then I realized the poet was referring to Stillaguamish River, and all the other rivers in Western Washington with Native American names ending in -Ish. I'm always looking for truly Northwest items to send as gifts. I loved this book and knew my friends in Florida would too."