Wislawa Szymborska's poems are admired around the world, and her unsparing vision, tireless wit, and deep sense of humanity are cherished by countless readers. Unknown to most of them, however, Szymborska also worked for several decades as a columnist, reviewing a wide variety of books under the unassuming title Nonrequired Reading.
As readers of her poems would expect, the short prose pieces collected here are anything but ordinary. Reflecting the author's own eclectic tastes and interests, the pretexts for these ruminations range from books on wallpapering, cooking, gardening, and yoga, to more lofty volumes on opera and world literature. Unpretentious yet incisive, these charming pieces are on a par with Szymborska's finest lyrics, tackling the same large and small questions with a wonderful curiosity.


Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Published: 10/28/2002
ISBN: 9780151006601
Pages: 256
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.70w x 0.90d
Award: Literary Award - Nominee

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 06/01/2002 pg. 118
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2002 pg. 1207
Publishers Weekly 09/23/2002 pg. 69
New York Times 10/20/2002 pg. 24
Library Journal 11/01/2002 pg. 91
Booklist 10/15/2002 pg. 364