Above the Sky Beneath the Earth

Aleš Šteger has published seven books of poetry, three novels, and two books of essays. A Chevalier des Artes et Lettres in France and a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts, he received the 1998 Veronika Prize for the best Slovenian poetry book, the 1999 Petrarch Prize for young European authors, the 2007 Rožanc Award for the best Slovenian book of essays, and the 2016 International Bienek Prize. His work has been translated into over 15 languages, including Chinese, German, Czech, Croatian, Hungarian, and Spanish. His first collection in English, The Book of Things, appeared from BOA Editions in 2010 and won the Best Translated Book Award.Brian Henry has published 11 books of poetry, most recently Permanent State (Ahsahta, 2019). His translation of Aleš Šteger’s The Book of Things appeared from BOA Editions in 2010 and won the Best Translated Book Award. He also has translated Tomaž Šalamun’s Woods and Chalices and Aleš Debeljak’s Smugglers. His translations have received numerous honors, including an NEA fellowship, a Howard Foundation grant, and a Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences grant.

“Translator Brian Henry, best known for his translation of Tomaž Šalamun’s Woods and Chalices, praises “the philosophical and lyrical sophistication of [Šteger’s] poems,” and has achieved that same sophistication in translation.” Three Percent“In giving quotidian objects a voice in his poetry, Šteger gives us a vision that is focused, omniscient, and obsessive.” Rattle“The prolific poet Brian Henry renders Steger's long lines in an unfailingly fluent American English.” Publishers Weekly “Above the Sky Beneath the Earth is one of those rare books of poems that can be read in one breath due to its pureness.” Delo newspaper“One of the most original European poets witing today.” Citation for the Bavarian Academy of Arts International Bienek Prize for Poetry“Each one of his books is an extraordinary event.” Durs Grünbein