Rush Mats by Hiroya Takagai translated by Eric Selland (1999)

 Rush Mats 

Hiroya Takagai

translated by Eric Selland

Duration Press 

(c) 1999

Interestingly, as I approach the end of the huge poetry chapbook and ephemera dump I received a number of years ago from a generous soul in Iowa, I find one that completely appeals to me. 

Translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland, this thin collection has spacial distance that attracts me - long pauses in white space. And Mr. Selland has translated Mr. Takagai before. He had a book published by the University of Hawaii entitled Then the Whole was Flooded with Light: Hiroya Takagai Translated (2000) which was the year after this brief collection came out. It is possible and likely that some of the pieces here were also in the bigger book published the following year. 

Of Their Ornate Eyes of Crystalline Sand by Coral Bracho (1999)

 Of Their Ornate Eyes of Crystalline Sand

Coral Bracho

Translated from the Spanish of Forrest Gander

Duration 11

(c) 1999

Part of the series. Great poetry. 

I happened across the series and these chapbooks, I believe, by someone in Iowa unloading a store of chapbooks they had accumulated over the years before they retired from their position at the literary hub there. 

One of the fascinating things about this series is that the translator had the opportunity to talk about the author they were translating, giving personal histories and perceptions to readers who were as likely as not NOT familiar with the poet whose work was the focus of the chapbook itself. 

20 Poems by Lauri Otonkoski (1999)

 20 Poems

Lauri Otonkoski

duration press 

(c)1999

Number  12 in their series. Translated from the Finnish by Anselm Hollo. Some interesting design features in this one. 

Empedocles's Sandal by Habib Tengour (1999)

 Empedocles's Sandal 

Habib Tengour

Translated from the French by Pierre Joris

Duration Press

Sausalito, CA

(c) 1999

Another in the series of International poets in translation published by Duration in 1999, with afterword by translator. #7 in the series. Unpaginated. 

Where Are We Now? by Peter Waterhouse (1999)

 Where Are We Now?

Peter Waterhouse

Duration Press

(c) 1999

translated by Rosemarie Waldrop

Part of the Duration translation series, this is #10 of that series. 

Spit-Curls by Keith Waldrop (1999)

 Spit-Curls

Keith Waldrop

duration press

(c) 1999

This one is special in the sense that it is duration press's first chapbook (stated on back as "duration.number.one.1999" and it one of only 200 printed. 31 pages of language gymnastics at its best.