A History of Clouds: 99 Meditations
In these 99 meditations, poet and novelist Hans Magnus Enzensberger celebrates the tenacity of the normal and routine in everyday life, where the survival of the objects we use without thinking—a pair of scissors, perhaps—is both a small, human victory and a quiet reminder of our own ephemeral nature. He sets his quotidian reflections against a broad historic and political backdrop—the cold war and its accompanying atomic threat, the German student revolt, would-be socialism in Cuba, China,...
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In these 99 meditations, poet and novelist Hans Magnus Enzensberger celebrates the tenacity of the normal and routine in everyday life, where the survival of the objects we use without thinking—a pair of scissors, perhaps—is both a small, human victory and a quiet reminder of our own ephemeral nature. He sets his quotidian reflections against a broad historic and political backdrop—the cold war and its accompanying atomic threat, the German student revolt, would-be socialism in Cuba, China, and Africa, and World War II as experienced by the youthful poet. Enzensberger’s poems are conversational, skeptical, and serene; they culminate in the extended set of observations which gives the collection its title. Clouds, alien and yet symbols of human life, are for Enzensberger at once a central metaphor of the Western poetic tradition and “the most fleeting of all masterpieces.” “Cloud archaeology,” writes Enzensberger, is “a science for angels.” Praise for the German edition“After reading this wonderful volume of poetry one would like to call Enzensberger simply the lyric voice of transience.”— Sueddeutsche Zeitung “With this book Enzensberger reveals himself both as a spokesman of persistence and as a decelerator.”—Neue Zuercher Zeitung
IRemembering the Poignant MomentSins of OmissionInvariablyDivision of LabourLostGeneticsUnderground Station WittenbergplatzAfter-Dinner Speech at an EngagementObscure CameraMy Wife’s MeritsNude ShotTemperaturesIn Semi-DarknessSurfacesThunderstorm in WinterSurprisesProfane RevelationThirstTo the Spoilsport IIThe Way OutBefore Techno and AfterFor Max SebaldThe CopyLow Notes in LiepājaA Cosy EveningOne DaySans-papier. Boulevard de Port-Royal, March 1999Peace TalksMotivational ResearchPoem in ParenthesesChild SoldiersInterferenceThe Energy Field of the DeadStars IIIMalfunctionFurther Cause for ComplaintAll Kinds of GrievancesAstronomical Sunday SermonLittle TheodicyEver Briefer ConversationsConcerning the Question What is More BlessédAt TimesSpectatorsSo Much for Good International RelationsLovely Days in XinjiangPakseBetter ProspectsA Little Swan Song to MobilityPower of the Keys IVAlso One Half of LifeThe PartyPetVoicesThe ButtonsThe InstrumentsAn Earth-Coloured DittyFish Knives and Ideas19 BerggasseWill and RepresentationA PityTripp’s Cabinet of CuriositiesWords Fail MeThe Words, the WordsParliamentaryThe AutobiographerLittle Night Music on a Hotel ToiletInterim ReportSuperfluous ElegyA Small Contribution Towards Reduction VFinal Remarks on CertaintyIt Might Escape Some SoulsSwansCreditThe Advantages of the FiniteTheory of NamesGaps in Our KnowledgeProblems Falling AsleepOrders of MagnitudeTake Note, Bishop BerkeleyQuestions for the CosmologistsAugursIf You Believe ItAstrolabeChemistry of TransparenceLeadClimate MachineAtomic Weight 12.011 VIHistory of Clouds
\ Prague Post"This latest collection from one of the most respected poets in Germany was published in German in 2003. The book is a welcome addition to the body of Enzensberger’s work available in English and is a powerful reminder of the efficacy of his curiously wide-ranging intellect. As the title suggests, A History of Clouds is a series of meditations, on time, mortality, politics and the human condition, among other subjects. But Enzensberger never sinks into rhetorical preaching, even when dealing with the most contentious themes. Instead he relies on his seasoned wit and a touching attention to detail."--Colophon, the book blog of the Prague Post\ \ \