In 1967, when the newly established House of Anansi Press began publishing, the first two poetry books they issued were a reprint of Margaret Atwood's GG-winning book, The Circle Game, and George Jonas's first book, The Absolute Smile. Over the course of the following forty-four years, Jonas continued to write poetry - publishing in literary and scholarly journals in Canada and abroad, some of which were collected in subsequent books The Happy Hungry Man (1970), Cities (1973), The East Wind Blows West (1993), and The Jonas Variations (2011). The poems in this collection, selected by Anna Porter, Barbara Amiel, Robyn Sarah, and Marc Côté, demonstrate great depth and breadth over Jonas's career. From the occasional poems of the 1960s, when he was writing as a young man, to the variations and translations of great European poets - from Goethe to Faludy - when he is writing as a much wiser, older man, the poetry reveals a sensibility entirely contemporary and original, but steeped in grand tradition, a writer very much engaged with the things of his world.

GEORGE JONAS is the author of fourteen books, including the international bestsellers Vengeance and By Persons Unknown, with Barbara Amiel, and his novel Final Decree and a memoir, Beethoven's Mask. Currently, he writes two weekly columns, one for the National Post and another in syndication for CanWest News Service. His columns and articles have appeared in the National Review, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Wall Street Journal, and have been collected and published as books. He has written, produced, and directed over two hundred dramas and docudramas for the CBC, including the award-winning series The Scales Of Justice. His media awards in Canada and abroad include the Edgar Allan Poe Award for the Best Crime Non-Fiction Book, two Nelly Awards for the Best Radio Program, a National Magazine Award, and two Gemini Awards for the Best TV Movie and for the Best Short Dramatic Program. George Jonas and his wife live in Toronto, Ontario.

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