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If you have ever studied a foreign language you will realise that translation is not simply a matter of swapping one word in one language for the equivalent in another. Australian poet John Kinsella has for many years worked at translating many great poets for his own enjoyment (he is not a professional translator). This collection gathers together many of these and provides a great introduction to French, German, Greek, Russian and Chinese poetry stretching over 2700 years.

'The older I get, the more I value sincerity and directness. I think it's tragic that "sincere", at least in the context of the arts, seems to have become a euphemism for "naïve", typically trotted out in a pejorative way to suggest "well-meaning but amateurish". What is sincerity, if not simply meaning what you say?' Kona Macphee's poetry is a refreshing change to much of the poetry you might have read in the past, honest, direct and accessible and all in a good way.