The penultimate work from renowned Slovenian poet Tomaz Salamun, Andes
was written less than three years before his death in 2014. Together,
the poems of Andes are an exceptional and unusual journey that
confronts both life and death across diverse continents, peoples,
cities, languages, and histories. In his eulogy for Salamun, the Slovene
poet Miklavz Komelj said: "Salamun achieved this highest level, where
the real question regarding his poetry isn't what someone thinks of it,
or if someone likes it or not, but solely, if we are able to endure it
or not." Like life and the human condition itself, these poems are at
times challenging but also absurd, celebratory, and ecstatic--and
completely worth it. Translators Jeffrey Young and Katarina Vladimirov
Young worked closely with Salamun before his death and render here a
translation absolutely faithful to his voice and intention.