Unattainable earth /

This new volume by the 1980 Nobel laureate combines poetry, prose commentary, and ``inscripts''quotations from other writersto create an intimate, multi-layered chorus of voices exploring themes of loss, the inadequacy of language, and the imaginative search for spiritual transcendence. Milosz does not entirely trust language; it is never an end in itself. Thus his verse often expresses contradictions: ``I think that I am here, on this earth,/ to present a report on it, but to whom I don't know./ As if I were sent so that whatever takes place/has meaning because it changes into memory.'' If there is meaning, it is ``unattainable.'' A poet of essences rather than of forms, Milosz, despite his bleak outlook, maintains a sense of wonder at being alive. Lyric and discursive, erotic and philosophical, this is a complex, deeply affecting work. Robert Hudzik, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.