The ABC book is a Polish genre, a literary form loosely composed of short, alphabetically arranged entries. Here, Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz's telling eye for detail & sharp judgments create unforgettable portraits as he combines sketches of characters from his earlier prose works & his poems with references to real historical figures. Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edward Hopper, & Arthur Koestler are among those who come under his scrutiny, along with the poets Charles Baudelaire & Robert Frost & the Polish writers Witold Gombrowicz & Zbigniew Herbert. Witty, erudite, eloquent, & outspoken, this is at once a fascinating self-portrait & a unique reflection on 20th-century politics, poetry, & prose. Winner, Nobel Prize in Lit.