The Abyss of the Soul

Reviews / Votes

For generations of Poles it has been the sheer beauty of these poems' language that matters most, hence a supreme challenge for the translator. This challenge is triumphantly met by Christopher Adam Zakrzewski, aided by his innate acquaintance with Polish and his exile's sensitivity to the sound and spirit of his acquired English.

-Joanna Rostropowicz Clark, Princeton Research Forum




Christopher Zakrzewski's new translations of Mickiewicz's Crimean Sonnets and Jan Kochanowski's Laments provide English readers with two vital strands of an intricate tapestry whose larger pattern begins to emerge when one reads these two major poets side by side.

-Ewa Thompson, Rice University




This book will be of particular interest to all Slavists and students of comparative literature. Christopher Zakrzewski's happy idea of enclosing between one set of covers his masterful renditions of two unrivaled gems of Polish literature affords the English-language reader a rare and rewarding glimpse into Slavdom's lofty poetic tradition.

-Vladimir Oslon, Russian literary translator




Here is the long-awaited translation of two great Polish poetic works, one of intense beauty and the other of profound grief. Both are brought alive to the English-speaking world through Christopher Zakrzewski's extraordinary poetic gift, which he unfailingly exercises with power and sensitivity to the internal 'music' of both languages and the intentions of both poets.

- Michael D. O'Brien, artist and novelist




These new translations give the English reader a strong sense of why Adam Mickiewicz's Crimean Sonnets and Jan Kochanowski's Laments are held in such esteem in the Polish literary canon. Christopher Adam Zakrzewski has rendered English-language readers a great service. Translation requires a mix of perseverance, humility, empathy, lexical talent, and sheer courage. Zakrzewski has opened a great door here. These are poems rich in sentiment, which, after all, is a prime reason to devote time to timeless poetry.

-Baron Wormser, poet, author of The History Hotel