Aichinger, Ilse: Squandered Advice

Translated by Steph Morris (Seagull Books, hardcover) Publication Date: May 20, 2022 Publisher Market: The first English translation of a major work of postwar German poetry. Austrian writer Ilse Aichinger (1921–2016) was a member of the Gruppe 47 writers’ group, which sought to renew German-language literature after World War II. From a wide-ranging literary career that encompassed all genres, Squandered Advice was Aichinger’s sole poetry collection. The book gathers poems written over several decades, yet Aichinger’s poetic voice remains remarkably consistent, frequently addressing us or a third party, often in the imperative, with many poems written in the form of a question. Even though they use free verse throughout, the poems are still tightly structured, often around sounds or repetition, using spare language. Phrases are often fragmentary, torn off and juxtaposed as if in a collage. Isolated and haunting, the images are at times everyday, at other times surreal, suggesting drea