Poetry
Ostaň tu ešte chvíľku
Not translated into English
Ctibor Štítnický · 1966
Synopsis
A selection of the author's love poetry, drawn from six collections published from 1943 to 1962, from Presýpacie hodiny to Slnovrat. The book explores new aspects of the relationship between man and woman, without rivalling the love lyricism of Ján Smrek. In Báseň o voľnosti, two lovers remain silent and close, amid images of sea and waves, and the poem also dreams of breaking the hatred between nations.
Context
The book appeared in 1966, accompanied by black-and-white female nudes by the photographer Oľga Bleyová, and a second edition followed as early as 1967. Interest in it grew during the years of normalisation: after 1968, the author's work was banned and could no longer be discussed at school, and the collection was sold under the counter by second-hand booksellers, who gladly bought it back, sure of finding a buyer. After 1989, the author would say he had not waited for it to become, for several generations, a cult book.
Who it is for
Short, accessible love poems, chosen from more than twenty years of writing, to be read together.
Prizes and reception
Probably its author's most widely read book, it has become with time a sought-after rarity.