{"product_id":"the-legend-of-the-evening-star-selected-poems-prose-9798338637968","title":"The Legend of the Evening Star: Selected Poems \u0026 Prose","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Adrian George Sahlean\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Classics\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMihai Eminescu\u003c\/b\u003e (1850-1889) is often described as the essence of the Romanian soul, modern literary language in Romania is also much indebted to him. His work encompassed every genre of poetry as well as prose and journalism. Eminescu is considered Europe's last great Romantic not in the least because he brought a voice such unmistakable music to the sadness of love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis legacy, however, transcends the confines of Romanticism, Western literary and philosophical traditions, and influences of the Far East. Blessed with the touch of genius, his synthesis is a personal world of meaning about the life of man and of the cosmos in archetypal images of universal worth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe translator of Eminescu's poems, \u003cb\u003eAdrian George Sahlean\u003c\/b\u003e, was born in Romania. A US citizen since 1991, he holds Master's Degrees in English \u0026amp; Spanish philology (Bucharest, 1975), psychoanalysis (Boston, 1995) and is a certified clinical psychoanalyst (2002).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdrian George Sahlean is the author of literary translations of poetry, short stories, memoirs, plays, fairytales and children's books. His meter-and-rhyme English renditions from the Romanian national poet Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889) earned several international awards, including the UNESCO Gold Prize (2000), the LiterArt XXI Grand Prize (2002), and the National Center for Eminescu Studies Award for Translation (2016). In 2015, the volume of essays on literary translation \u003ci\u003eMig\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eă\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003elosul Cronofag (The Painstaking Chronophage), \u003c\/i\u003e won the Book-of-the-Year award from the Romanian Writers Union.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe theatrical production of \u003ci\u003eThe Legend of the Evening Star, \u003c\/i\u003e based on his translation of Eminescu's masterpiece \u003ci\u003eLuceafărul, \u003c\/i\u003e was twice staged off-Broadway in 2005 and 2008.\u003c\/p\u003eExcerpts from the\u003cb\u003e Foreword: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eI was introduced to the work of Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889) by a Romanian American colleague who wanted me to direct her in an original dance theater piece. The idea was to use Eminescu's classic poem \u003ci\u003eLuceaf\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eă\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003erul, \u003c\/i\u003eset to music composed by another Romanian American specifically for this project and performed live on stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving spent a life in the theater as a director and teacher, I was interested in the project, and intrigued that I had not heard of the man referred to as the \u003ci\u003enational poet \u003c\/i\u003eof his country. I wanted to learn more. However, after reading the English translation she provided, I was not impressed [...]\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI was ready to turn down the project when she handed me \u003ci\u003eThe Legend of the Evening Star\u003c\/i\u003e-Adrian G. Sahlean's translation of \u003ci\u003eLuceaf\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eă\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003erul\u003c\/i\u003e. It was hard to believe I was reading the same poem. The lyricism immediately drew me into a masterpiece. Then I looked at other translations by him. Again, I was astounded by the beautiful imagery of the poems, and the natural sound of the lines in English.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter reading these translations, I finally understood why Eminescu deserves the high regard in which he is held by his countrymen. He is a major poet that should be widely known. I have long believed that the art of translation is incredibly important [...]; the difference between one translation and another can actually affect how we understand another culture. [...]\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI went on to direct and co-produce with my newfound Romanian friends two different weekend performances of Evening Star off-Broadway in 2005 and 2008. Audiences, while small because they had not heard of Eminescu, were much moved, entranced by the poem as an important parable about human nature and man's place in the universe. The second performance included a mise en scene based on an exchange of love letters with Veronica, Eminescu's lover and muse; it remains among my favorites of any piece I have directed. [...]\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eTerrence Montgomery Christgau\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45556917600407,"sku":"9798338637968","price":869.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798338637968.webp?v=1768592566","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-legend-of-the-evening-star-selected-poems-prose-9798338637968","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}