The works of Gjekë Marinaj, Albaniaâs leading poet, have been praised, translated, published, and discussed in over twenty languages and countries. His most celebrated poem, "Horses," drew the attention of the dictatorshipâs censors when it was published and forced Marinaj to escape his country pursued by armed men. Later, the poem became the anthem for the democratic forces that freed the country. He has won several of the worldâs most prestigious prizes for his poetry and criticism, but his remarkable body of passionate, profound, and wildly original poetry is only now translated and published in English for the first time. Frederick Turner, a prizewinning Anglo-American poet, critic, and translator, has translated this generous collection of Marinajâs major poems into English with the close collaboration of the poet himself. Gathered into nine sectionsâHome, Albania, Amor, Admonitions, Acheron, Heroines, Metaphysics, Poets, and The Earthâthe volume concludes with an extraordinary long poem, "The Lost Layers of Vyasaâs Skin." With his fascinating introductory essay, Turner contextualizes Marinajâs work, describing the ways in which Albanian history, culture, and politics have energized Marinajâs poetry and its poetics.