New Book by Danny Schechter: When South Africa Called, We Answered

As South Africa just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of apartheid, author and award-winning journalist, Danny Schechter is back with a new book, and Cosimo is proud to announce the release of When South Africa Called, We Answered: How the Media and International Solidarity Helped Topple Apartheid 

In this book, Schechter describes the crucial role media played in anti-apartheid achieving worldwide recognition, which enabled outsiders to support the anti-apartheid movement. In Schechter's view, it were ultimately the joint efforts by leaders like the late Nelson Mandela, freedom fighters, activists and media that led to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa.

With When South Africa Called, We Answered, Schechter shows he is not only a media veteran known for his work on radio, television, books and blogs, but is truly an expert on South Africa and apartheid. His expertise is previously shown in his other works such as his earlier book Madiba A to Z: The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela (Seven Stories Press, November 2013), a story-telling biography of Nelson Mandela, and in his numerous documentaries about South Africa and apartheid, including Mandela in America. 

In this book's Foreword, Tony Sutton (Editor of Coldtype in Toronto) aptly describes Schechter's role in South Africa:

" Look back at the major events in South Africa during the final decades of the apartheid era and you'll keep coming across the name of Danny Schechter --- organizing, cajoling, pulling strings and reporting the truth that an evil regime would have preferred to hide from an often ignorant and uncomprehending outside world"

Also other well-known public figures and journalists have praised Schechter for his work on South Africa:

“Danny Schechter's life-long involvement with the freedom movement in South Africa is very well known and respected."          

– Reverend Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader and President of Rainbow Push

“Here is story-telling that is unique, refreshing, and revealing, and the Nelson Mandela who emerges is someone you will want to know. You will be both surprised by Mandela’s profoundly complex personality and grateful for Danny Schechter’s creative journalism."
— Bill Moyers, leading veteran journalist on Madiba A to Z.

When South Africa Called, We Answered is an inspiring and educational read for those interested in the role of the media in historic world events, the history of South Africa, journalism, and activism that mobilizes people for the greater good.

When South Africa Called, We Answered is available in paperback and eBook at leading online bookstores, including Amazon (Paperback, Kindle) and Barnes & Noble.

Please see our press release for more information.

Classic of the Month: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo is proud to offer Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup as its Classic of the Month.

This riveting and harrowing memoir, originally published in 1853, was a best-seller and groundbreaking work during its time. In 1841, free-born African American Solomon Northup was offered a job within his hometown of Saratoga Springs, only to find that it was a trap---leading to him being beaten, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery by his employers. He eventually ended up on a Louisiana plantation owned by Edwin Epps, where he became friends with Canadian carpenter Edward Bass, who was doing work for the plantation owner at the time. Bass secretly contacted Northup's family, who informed New York governor Washington Hunt of his kidnapping. The state was able to use a law passed in 1840, to rescue Northup, that allowed the recovery of free black men who were sold into slavery. Solomon was finally made free again on January 4, 1853.

In 2013 Twelve Years a Slave, a movie based on an adaptation of this autobiography was produced and directed by Steve McQueen: it ended up winning three 2014 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay,and Best Supporting Actress.

This incredible journey is a must-read for all, but may be of particular interest to historians, librarians, or anyone interested in African American History.

About the Author:
SOLOMON NORTHUP (1808-c. 1875) was a free African American from New York who was deceived, drugged, and sold into slavery in Washington, D.C. in 1841. He was transported to New Orleans and sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. For several years, he was passed around between slave owners before winding up with plantation owner Edwin Epps. There he met Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who helped him regain his freedom in 1853. Solomon spent the rest of his life as an abolitionist. He also assisted with the Underground Railroad in the early 1860s.

Cosimo is thrilled to offer Twelve Years a Slave in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover, and Nook) and Amazon (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle).

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln!

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, was one of the nation's greatest success stories. Born in Hardin County, Kentucky, his family moved frequently forcing Lincoln to gain what education he could along the way. While reading law, he worked in a store, managed a mill, surveyed and split rails. As a result of his passion for hard work, Lincoln developed great ability in law, a ready grasp of argument, and sincerity, color, and lucidity of speech evident during his long and distinguished career in public life.


In honor of his birthday, February 12, 1809, we celebrate one of the most famous men (and let's face it, our favorite man) to wear a top hat, with a selection of books, from Cosimo, all about the life and history of Lincoln.

Here you'll find Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address, both inaugural addresses, the Emancipation Proclamation, a selection of correspondence, his last public speech, and other notable papers. Also included are: an 1891 essay by Carl Schurz, a prominent and trusted member of the Lincoln administration, a stirring and emotional 1864 defense of Lincoln's prosecution of the Civil War by his friend, poet James Russell Lowell, Ralph Waldo Emerson's eulogy of Lincoln, and poetry in honor of the fallen president by Lowell, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendall Holmes, and Walt Whitman. Written by those who knew him, loved him, and witnessed his dramatic impact on United States during its most perilous crisis, this collection offers us the invaluable perspective of his contemporaries and the beginnings of the towering image we have of Abraham Lincoln today. 

Abraham Lincoln by Lord Charnwood from 1917 is a rich, evocative portrait of the man and how actions as a leader were shaped by his character and ideals. From its British perspective, offering a fresh angle on an American legend, to its charming readability, Charnwood's treatise- which was called, in 1947, "the best one-volume life of Lincoln ever written" by historian Benjamin Thomas - today remains one of the most intriguing examinations of the great president, and a keystone for understanding the evolution of Lincoln scholarship. 

Ingersoll published this lecture in 1894, a stirring tribute to the honesty, courage, and genius of a beloved leader at a time when his life and works were still within living memory. Focusing in particular on Lincoln's abhorrence of slavery and his work to defeat it as a national institution, Ingersoll offers readers today an invaluable perspective on the great President from the era immediately after his own, when his legend was being cemented in the American imagination.

The Lincoln Year Book containing the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln spoken and written on various occasions throughout his extraordinary life, The Lincoln Year Book is a timeless collection of proverbs and dictum from "The Great Emancipator" of American history. Each entry is preceded by appropriate Scripture texts and followed by first-rate poetic selections and charming illustrations for each day in the year, including particular reference to anniversary dates.

Considered one of the best treatments of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln of its time, this 10-volume portrait of the man and his administration of the United States at the moment of its greatest upheaval is both intimate and scholarly. Written by two private secretaries to the president and first published in 1890, this astonishingly in-depth work is still praised today for its clear, easy-to-read style and vitality. This new replica edition features all the original illustrations.

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln!

February Book of the Month: African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum

In  honor of Black History Month, Cosimo presents African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum, with an introduction by Linda James Myers, as its celebrated Book of the Month.

In this controversial and captivating work, Edward Bruce Bynum offers his viewpoint on the roots of human existence. He believes that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. In effect, we possess a shared identity and collective unconscious. This magnificent work is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life. Looking at phenotypes and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings, this book is ideal for psychologists and those interested in African American art and culture.

About the Author:

Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., ABPP, is a psychologist, diplomat in clinical psychology, and director of the Behavioral Medicine & Anxieties Disorders clinic at the University of Massachusetts Health Services in Amherst. He is the author of five texts in psychology and three in poetry. Some of his other books include The Family Unconscious, The Roots of Transcendence, and Families and the Interpretation of Dreams.  His last volume of poetry, Chronicles of the Pig & Other Delusions, won the national 2010 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award. Dr. Bynum received the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the American Psychological Association for “an outstanding and lasting contribution to the exploration of the farther reaches of the human spirit.”

Cosimo is happy to offer The African Unconscious, in paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, Nook) and Amazon (paperback, Kindle).

The Changing Role of Publishers

Every day there are new views and discussions about the changing role of publishing, While browsing for the latest developments, I found this August, 2014 article "Authors should back Amazon in the battle with Hachette" by John Kay in The Financial Times. Kay's article is about change, the value of publishers and the strengthened role of authors. He describes the ebook controversy between Amazon and Hachette, which last summer was still unresolved after months of negotiations, and he disagrees with a group of leading Hachette authors who wrote an open letter intervening in that dispute. Kay believes the authors should understand that they are benefiting from Amazon's technology and distribution capabilities. Although the dispute between Hachette and Amazon has been resolved (see this November article in The New York Times,) Kay makes some worthwhile points. In his view it's all about change and how publishers and authors - and readers for that matter - deal with this ongoing change in the publishing landscape. He states (underlining added by undersigned):

"....Established companies in all industries are inhibited in their response to radical change by vested interests inherent in their existing business models. Music publishers tried to block new technologies, and were marginalised by better-run businesses: Apple, Walmart and Spotify. Book publishers responded initially with dismal reproductions on screen of their printed books. When these failed to sell, they retired into protecting the status quo........... 

....The role of the book publisher has been based on control of access to channels of distribution. The ambition of the aspirant author has always been to “get published”. Along with the decision as to what should be published, the company has traditionally provided a collection of associated services: identification, support and finance of the underlying literary project, editing of the draft manuscript, and marketing and promotion of the finished work. But the large conglomerates that have come to dominate publishing are run by people who love money more than they love books. These support-activities have been cut back in the interest of maximising the revenue, from control of access to distribution. "

Kay continues by saying:

"......Today’s bestseller lists are filled with imitations of books that have already been successful; footballer’s memoirs, celebrity chefs, vampires and female-oriented erotic literature."  I couldn't agree more, how many more celebrity chefs and recipes do we actually need?

".......Such publishers are ill-placed for the new environment. I do not know the extent to which the printed book will remain extant in two decades. But enough eBooks are already being sold to signify that being published by a company such as Hachette or Penguin Random House  is no longer critical."

In my view, Kay would be surprised to see how many printed books will still be sold and read twenty years from now, but at the same time it's clear that authors increasingly will find multiple ways to get published, also thanks to the advent of eBooks.

"What matters to the success or failure of a book is the quality of conception and execution of the underlying project, the competence of the editing, and the effectiveness of marketing and promotion. Most new self-published titles fail these tests; in particular, the lack of a competent editor is often obvious. But this is also true of many titles now published by established houses.

Some existing publishers will thrive on the basis of their strengths in author support services. But most will not. Savvy and well-advised authors, often helped by agents, will be able to buy editing and marketing skills with the receipts from a much larger share of the sales proceeds than the traditional royalty model allows. "

Kay ends as follows:

"Change is rarely an unequivocal benefit. But the (Hachette) authors who signed the open letter have missed the most significant business consequence of the evolution of the book industry. The author will now be placed where he or she should be – in charge."


Notwithstanding my agreement with several points Kay is making, I don't believe that every author wants to do everything by themselves and I believe they will need support and expertise from professionals. Neither is every author a Stephen King who can fund and execute his own publishing activities better than even big publishers. Biased and hopeful as I am, I believe that Cosimo is one of those publishers that are well-placed for the future and will continue to expand its role as publishing partner and supporter of our authors, new and old.

What do you think about the changing role of publishers and the future of publishing? Have a look at what some publishers said at last year's London Book Fair, and let me know what you expect for 2015 and beyond.

New Cover for Perennial Book on Transcendental Meditation

This new year continues with making old things new again. One of our books,  Everything You Need to Know about TM (Paraview Special Editions, 2004) by John White has received positive feedback from its readers for years, for example:

"This little book is the best book on Transcendental Meditation (TM) have ever read."
- Jusuf Hariman on Amazon

"This book is unique in that unlike most books telling readers how great TM is, White gives the pros and cons of TM from every view point."
- Andrew Ling on Amazon.

We at Cosimo felt this book of perennial value deserved a refreshed cover and we are excited to show this new cover to you, our old and new readers. We believe this cover reflects the appealing character of this book in line with this second decade of the 21st century and we hope you like it. Let us know what you think of this new cover.

Transcendental Meditation (TM) --- extremely popular in the 1970s and '80s --- continues to be one of the most accessible forms of Eastern spiritual practice in the West. However, while TM has many supporters, it is often subject to criticism and skepticism. In this book, consciousness researcher, John White takes on both critics and cheerleaders to give a full evaluation of this practice. Offering explanations for all elements of Transcendental Meditation, a glossary of TM terms, and a "how-to" lesson for those interested in trying it themselves, White gives the ultimate assessment.

About the Author:
John White, M.A.T. is an internationally-known author and educator in the fields of consciousness research and higher human development. He was Director of Education for the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a research organization dedicated to studying human potential for personal and planetary transformation. He is the author of The Meeting of Science and Spirit; A Practical Guide to Death and Dying; American, Freedom and Enlightenment; and a children's book, The Christmas Mice. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, Omni, Esquire, and Woman's Day. Visit John White at americanspiritpress.com.

Cosimo is proud to offer this title in paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble and Amazon and in eBook at Kindle, Kobo, and Nook.

January Series of the Month: The Phenomenology of Mind by G.W.E Hegel

January always marks the beginning of many individuals' positive changes. In hopes of assisting those who are embarking on a life-enhancing transition, Cosimo is thrilled to present The Phenomenology of Mind by G.W.E Hegel as its January Series of the Month.

Originally published in German in 1807, Phenomenology of Mind is Georg Willhelm Fredrich Hegel's most influential and discussed philosophical work. It is within these pages that Hegel developed his concepts for master-slave dialectic, absolute idealism, ethical life, and Aufhebung. This thought-provoking book has had a deep impact on western civilization and has been seen as an influence on the development of existentialism, communism, fascism, death of God theology, and historicist nihilism.




This two-volume set includes:

• Intention and Method of the Argument of the Phenomenology

• Consciousness and Self-Consciousness

• [The Nature of] Free Concrete Mind: Reason

• [The Nature of] Free Concrete Mind: Spirit 

• Absolute Knowledge

• And much more...

About the Author:
German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) was born in Stuttgart and studied at Tübingen, where his contemporaries included Schelling and the poet Hölderlin.  As a philosophical disciple of Kant, Hegel was of the Idealist School of philosophers and remained an unparalleled influence on German philosophy throughout the 19th century. Additional works by Hegel include: The Objective Logic (1812-13), The Subjective Logic (1816), Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences in Outline (1817), and Philosophy of Right (1821).


Cosimo offers this series by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full two-volume set in hardcover. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The hardcover retail list price for this series is: $67.98, but now our price is: $54.99 (you save $12.99 or a 20 percent discount)

January Classic of the Month: Hatha Yoga

In the spirit and new beginnings, Cosimo is proud to present Hatha Yoga: Or, the Yogi Philosophy of Physical Well-Being by Yogi Ramachaka as our first Classic of the Month for 2015.

Followers of the early-20th-century "New Age" philosophy of New Thought believed they could learn the secrets of mind over matter, and one of their most influential teachers (enormously popular writer and editor William Walker Atkinson, writing under the pseudonym Ramacharaka), revealed to them, in this 1904 work, the teachings of Hatha Yoga. 

His lessons cover how what we eat impacts the "life fluid" of the blood, the yogi's approach to food and eating, mastering yogi breathing, rules for relaxation, and much, much more.

While this book is useful all year round, it is especially relevant this month in a time of resolution making for those interested in healthier minds and bodies.
About the Author
American writer William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932) was the editor of the popular magazine New Thought from 1901 to 1905, and editor of the journal Advanced Thought from 1916 to 1919. He authored dozens of New Thought books under numerous pseudonyms, some of which are likely still unknown today, including "Yogi Ramacharaka" and "Theron Q. Dumont." Other titles available from Cosimo are Yogi Ramacharaka's Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga and Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga, plus many more.

Cosimo is happy to offer Hatha Yoga in both hardcover and paperback formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover) and Amazon (paperback, hardcover).

January Book of the Month: Mystic Journey by Robert Atkinson

For many, a new year symbolizes a new start, a new journey, or a hopeful beginning. It's what inspires us to make change---to finally begin, or do, what we have always hoped to. In excitement of the new year, and in anticipation of a new beginning, Cosimo is proud to present Mystic Journey by Robert Atkinson as our Book of the Month.

In this life-changing and award winning book, Atkinson uses a multi-faith approach to reveal the path of the soul. Guiding readers to use their life stories to help solidify their identities, live with an eternal perspective in mind, and reclaim their common spiritual heritage, Mystic Journey reveals why we are deeply connected to others. Getting to the heart of your soul is soul-making, and it is through this journey that leads us to personal and collective transformation.

This book is a must-read for any individual who seeks spiritual insight, or who simply wants to make positive changes to his/her life.

About the Author:
Robert Atkinson, Ph.D., an internationally recognized authority in helping people tell their life stories, is an author of eight books, professor of human development and religious studies, and director of the Life Story Center at the University of Southern Maine. He is online at www.RobertAtkinson.net.

Cosimo is proud to offer this title in both paperback and eBook at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble and Amazon (Kindle, paperback).

Mystic Journey Author Robert Atkinson on New Year's Resolutions

Our Book of the Month author, Robert Atkinson recently shared a thoughtful commentary on the transformation process and resolutions on his blog. In the spirit of the new year and new beginnings, Cosimo would like to highlight his reflections from the post.

"Even if we are not aware of this truth that we are living, as it might be especially difficult to do so when we are right in the midst of a struggle or conflict actually meant to lead us to and trough our own transformation, it is precisely this kind of challenge or “muddle” that is needed to show us the necessity of the difficulty. This is how we are led to a “resolution” and the completion of the transformation process." (To read the post in its entirety, please visit Robert's blog, Reflections for the Journey.)

Be sure to check out Robert's newest creation: StoryCommons, where life stories are recorded locally and shared globally. StoryCommons grew out of the Center for the Study of Lives, founded in 1988 by Robert as a research, educational, and service unit of the University of Southern Maine, and was founded in 2014.

About Robert Atkinson
Robert Atkinson, Ph.D., an internationally recognized authority in helping people tell their life stories, is an author of eight books, professor of human development and religious studies, and director of the Life Story Center at the University of Southern Maine. Find out more about Atkinson, his books, or to read his blog, please visit www.RobertAtkinson.net. Cosimo is proud to publish Mystic Journey: Getting to the Heart of Your Soul's Story , a 2013 winner of the Bronze Living Now Book Award by Robert Atkinson.

Bringing in the New Year with Barbara Biziou

As 2015 begins and January resolutions and new beginnings abound, author Barbara Biziou writes on MindBodyGreen a few easy rituals for everyone to follow as well as how and why these rituals will inspire and encourage you to have a fantastic new year.

In "12 Spiritually Uplifting Rituals To Try," Barbara details a few simple ways to bring playfulness and gratitude into your life. Ideas include creating an inspiration tree, taking time for yourself, and taking a digital detox.

In "12 Rituals To Do In 12 Days To Guarantee 12 Months Of Love & Prosperity," the author explains the importance of the first 12 days of January and how to give thoughtful attention to each day to symbolize the coming year. 

Click on the above video to watch Barbara discus rituals to bring prosperity and love in 2015.


Follow Biziou on Twitter at @barbarabiziou for spiritual reflections and suggestions, or visit her website for more information.


Barbara Biziou is an interfaith minister, motivational speaker, and a life-strategy coach. She is the author of The Joy of Ritual and The Joy of Family Rituals, as well as a Huffington Post blogger, executive consultant, dynamic public speaker, and national TV personality. 

“Rituals for the New Year” with Barbara Biziou

Join author Barbara Biziou at her first event of 2015, “Rituals for the New Year” at The Open Center.

About the Workshop:

When: Friday, January 9, 2015, from 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Where: The Open Center,  22 E. 30th Street, New York, NY 10016
Cost: Free for Open Center members ($35 for non-members)

"Rituals can be wonderful tools to help us release old patterns and limiting thoughts and move into the future with clarity and lightness. January is an auspicious time to use the focused power of ritual to align our minds, hearts and actions, and release the blocks and barriers that prevent us from manifesting our goals. 

In this workshop, we will draw from a range of cross-cultural traditions and spiritual teachings to create our own rituals, tailored to modern urban reality and our own contemporary lives. Whether we want to re-ensoul our daily routines, move out of an unwanted situation, complete an unresolved issue, focus our goals more clearly or manifest love and abundance, this workshop can help us move into a new year with energy, inspiration and focus."

For more information, visit Barbara's event page. Click here to register.

About Barbara

Barbara Biziou is an interfaith minister, motivational speaker, and a life-strategy coach. She is the author of The Joy of Ritual and The Joy of Family Rituals, as well as a Huffington Post blogger, executive consultant, dynamic public speaker, and national TV personality. Biziou has a deep commitment to integrating practical spirituality into people's lives, both personally and professionally. She is a frequent guest on radio and television and has appeared in the New York Times, Body and Soul, Harper's Bazaar and Parent's Magazine.

Paul Krugman on the Great Illusion of Agressive Wars

New York Times columnist and Noble prize winning economist, Paul Krugman, last week in his column described the futility of aggressive wars as already explained in the 1909 classic book "The Great Illusion", whether by Russian President Vladimir Putin or by neo-cons in the U.S. This is what Krugman said in "Conquest is for Losers":

"More than a century has passed since Norman Angell, a British journalist and politician, published “The Great Illusion,” a treatise arguing that the age of conquest was or at least should be over. He didn’t predict an end to warfare, but he did argue that aggressive wars no longer made sense — that modern warfare impoverishes the victors as well as the vanquished.

He was right, but it’s apparently a hard lesson to absorb. Certainly Vladimir Putin never got the memo. And neither did our own neocons, whose acute case of Putin envy shows that they learned nothing from the Iraq debacle. 

Angell’s case was simple: Plunder isn’t what it used to be. You can’t treat a modern society the way ancient Rome treated a conquered province without destroying the very wealth you’re trying to seize. And meanwhile, war or the threat of war, by disrupting trade and financial connections, inflicts large costs over and above the direct expense of maintaining and deploying armies. War makes you poorer and weaker, even if you win........"

Krugman explains that since Putin's land-grab of Crimea, that region's economy imploded and due to sanctions Russia is now in the midst of a financial crisis. No success here for Putin's warmongering.  Then Krugman continues with the example of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, heavily promoted by neo-cons in 2003 and beyond, that has only resulted in destruction of a country, and grave loss in blood and treasure to the US over the eleven years since the invasion started. Still, some of these neocons seem to be impressed with Putin's "leadership", and have not learned any lessons from the catastrophic consequences of their ideas. Krugman concludes his column with:

"...America is a true superpower, so we can handle such losses — although one shudders to think of what might have happened if the “real men” had been given a chance to move on to other targets. But a financially fragile petroeconomy like Russia doesn’t have the same ability to roll with its mistakes.

 I have no idea what will become of the Putin regime. But Mr. Putin has offered all of us a valuable lesson. Never mind shock and awe: In the modern world, conquest is for losers."

Cosimo is proud to have once again made available a classic book with enduring value and lessons for modern day readers. Cosimo has several books by Sir Norman Angell available, including for true book lovers,  a hard cover of "The Great Illusion".

"Many New Years" Poetry Collection for the Holidays by Vera Srbinović

Cosimo is proud to present this holiday season
Mnoge Nove Godine/Many NewYears, a beautiful New Year’s holiday collection of poems in English and Serbian (originally published by Dan Graf in Belgrade, Serbia.)

Ranging from the present back to 1998, award winning poet - and Cosimo author - Vera Srbinović showcases one poem for every year. The artwork in this hard cover book was created by the poet herself as colorful New Year’s cards symbolizing the events that took place that year. 

As this holiday season extends into next year for many Orthodox Christians, who will be celebrating Christmas on January 7 and New Year on January 14, Many New Years is the perfect holiday gift for poetry lovers, or those interested in European culture and history.
 
Vera Srbinović has received widespread praise for her work, including:

 

“Her poems are Pushkinesque, warm and tender.”

-  Politika (a leading Belgrade daily)

“Her poems seem to be sprinkled with gold-dust.”

- Snezana Lukić, in the Belgrade art magazine Bazar

 

But let her art speak for itself in the following poem from Many New Years:

 

 2014

As if the stars came down to Earth and Sea

Into this night on a black winged steed

They fly over cities, forests and fields

Celebrating the end of the year

Covered in pollen and snowflakes

In my eye covered with snow

Ancient nights repeat like a kaleidoscope

Light breeze strums the strings

Purple fires of Atlas

Covered in heavenly dust

                                          


Many New Years/Mnoge Nove Godine is in the U.S. only available from Amazon (or if bulk sales from Cosimo)