The Collected Prose by Zbigniew Herbert, one of Poland’s best known 20th-century writers, has been published in the United States by HarperCollins.

The volumn includes the writer’s entire prose output - Labyrinth on the Sea, Still Life with a Bridle, King of the Ants, and Barbarian in the Garden.

The publisher’s note says: ‘From Western civilization's past, as witnessed through the Greek and Roman landscape, to musings on the artistic that celebrate the author's discriminating eye, poetic sensibility, and gift for irony, humor, and the absurd; from a sage retelling of myths and tales that became twentieth-century philosophical parables of human behavior to thoughts on art, culture, and history inspired by journeys in France, Italy, and the Netherlands, Collected Prose is a rich compendium that celebrates the mastery and wisdom of a remarkable artist.’

Born in 1924, Herbert made a name for himself primarily as a poet. An anti-communist, he gave his wholehearted support to the Solidarity movement. After the imposition of martial law in December 1981, his poems were recited at clandestine Solidarity meetings. His honours included the Herder Prize, the Jerusalem Prize and the T.S.Eliot Prize. His Collected Poems 1956-1998 were published in 2007 by HarperCollins.  

Herbert died in 1998. (mk)