Danish poetry is now at a high water mark of vigorous development. During the period before the Second World War, Danish response to the poetic challenge was more restrained than that of poets in Germany, France and England. After the war, however, Danish poets expressed themselves with dramatic new strength in boldly experimental forms. Contemporary Danish Poetry is a thorough, comprehensive introduction to the variety and depth of Danish poetry for the English-speaking reader. The selections include important work by the poets of the early part of the century - the Naturalists and the Symbolists - as well as that of poets of the period between the wars. A survey of modern Danish poetry, should begin with the now nearly century-old Naturalist movement. The second strong influenced was the work of the Symbolists; in many respects, the language of modern poetry was heralded by the Symbolist movement of the 1890s. The concerns that beset poets at the turn of the century remain much the same - a truism that can be applied to any art or philosophy. It is, however, the character of the individual response that is the beginning of art. From the forms and language of these earlier poets, the present exciting, fertile expressions arise. This anthology grew out of close collaboration between the editors and translators. In every case, selections were made because they added to the collection's purpose of setting before the reader a broad overview of what is happening and what has happened, particularly in the post war period, in Danish poetry. The delicate task of translation - the transference of subtleties of meaning and nuances of style from one language to another without doing violence to the poem was also, in many ways, a collaborative effort. Thus Contemporary Danish Poetry, with its presentation of forty-seven important poets, is more than a simple collection. It has a unique coherence; it is a statement of poetic taste and concern on the part of editors and translators who are committed to poetry and convinced of its power to speak across oceans and languages. - Dust jacket.