...what is the whole surreal jokeshop of terrors compared to the infinitely chance little tricks of a poem - from "MonoLogical Poem 1". Born in Dresden in 1962, Durs Grunbein is the most significant and successful poet to emerge from the former East Germany, a place where, he wrote, "The Best Refuge was a Closed Mouth." In unsettling, often funny, sometimes savage lines whose vivid images reflect his deep love for and connection with the visual arts, Grunbein is reinventing German poetry and taking on the most pressing moral concerns of his generation. Brilliantly edited and translated by Michael Hofmann, "Ashes for Breakfast" introduces Germany's most highly acclaimed contemporary poet to English readers.