Book cover of Everything I Don't Know

Book description

"These surprising, clear, and appealing poems are to be enjoyed again and again, marking Ficowski as a poet readers won't want to miss."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"What good luck to finally have in English the writings of the brilliant Jerzy Ficowski, the poet who lived at least seventeen lives, fighting…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Everything I Don't Know as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jerzy Ficowski (1924-2006) is a poet who has been less well known in the United States, even though Poland had one of the greatest poetic traditions of the 20th century.

He resisted both Nazi oppression and communist censorship, celebrated Roma culture, and often wrote of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. His own poetry is full of striking and unexpected images and characters, and this collaborative translation by two talented poets brings his voice right into the room. I especially love his ode to the stove burner: who would have thought?

If you love Everything I Don't Know...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Everything I Don't Know?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Everything I Don't Know.

Browse books like Everything I Don't Know

Book cover of Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine
Book cover of Days of Grace: Selected Poems
Book cover of A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Everything I Don't Know, you might also like...

Book cover of Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South

Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South by William D. Auman,

Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.

Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…

Book cover of A Winter's Disgrace

A Winter's Disgrace by Kathleen Buckley,

Cyprian, a marquess’s heir, will not let his mother choose his next bride. Leaving a house party in a blizzard to avoid her stratagems, he finds a woman trudging half frozen toward the London road. Rosamund fled disgrace, hoping to reach the one person who might shelter her, but even…

5 book lists we think you will like!