According to Unesco, of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world, more than half are endangered, with one disappearing every two weeks. This collection of 50 poems celebrates and preserves these unique voices and takes the reader on a global journey of discovery.
Gold Medal Winner for Poetry and Special Honors Award for Best of Anthology at the 2020 Nautilus Book Awards
Featuring award-winning poets, including US poet laureate Joy Harjo, Valzhyna Mort and Jackie Kay, cultures as diverse as those of the Ainu people of Japan and the Zoque of Mexico, and poems written in languages that range from the indigenous Ahtna of Alaska to the Shetlandic dialect of Scots, Poems from the Edge of Extinction showcases 50 of the finest poems in endangered languages from across the continents.
Each poem appears in its original form, alongside an English translation, and is accompanied by a commentary introduction about the language, the poet and the poem - in a vibrant celebration of life, diversity, language and the enduring power of poetry.
'Share[s] folklore, songs and a richness of world views with a vivacity that heightens their collective call to protect the planet's linguistic, and cultural, ecosystem.' Financial Times
