EXILE IN EDEN

About the Book

Poet-author Barbara Hollander offers another endearing collection with the release of her newly published memoir-in-poetry. From the author of the poetry anthologies Love and Lamentation and Still Life with Lilacs comes another collection of poems that’s very personal and reminiscent. Poet-author Barbara Hollander shares her memories of the fascinating life she had in Andalusia through the poetic pieces in her newly published book, Exile in Eden. Her wonderful memories, engaging vignettes, honest sentiments, and random thoughts of how she and her family lived in Eden—Andalusia for thirty years are all captured in beautiful verses in this poetry collection. These comments on their life abroad are Barbara´s lyrical expressions of the many great experiences they shared, her insightful observations, and more. “The transition from the canyons of Manhattan to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea was, to put it mildly, abrupt. It really was an exile. As far as Eden goes….. Ah, yes, that fabulous garden, unspoiled. The verdant grasses, the towering trees. And a couple of naïve people, a forbidden piece of fruit and the inevitable snake in the grass,” reminisces the author. Exile in Eden is not just a poetry compilation, but also paints a vivid and vibrant picture of the author’s life in Eden.

About the Author

REFLECTIONS, through personal essays, poetry, and photos, pays homage to various colorful characters and places that have been woven into the fabric of my life. What began in 1924 as an ordinary life in the American Midwest has gone in unexpected directions, taking me first to New York, where my husband Gino and I established ourselves as respected filmmakers, and then to Andalusia, where we stayed for thirty years, traveling throughout the country, following the corridas, meeting people of many nations, the famed and the feckless. We arrived in Spain in 1962 with six hundred bucks to our name, not knowing where or how we would live. We thrived, built our home and filled it with children, dogs, cats, horses, birds, and countless visiting friends. In 1982, having unearthed or acquired some five thousand significant artifacts dating from Neolithic times to the fifteenth century, and 400 prime pieces of Spanish antiquities, we started Museo Hollander. Nearly twenty years ago, Gino and I donated our museum to the Spanish government and began our reentry into life in the States. Instead of returning to the hectic pace of Manhattan, we opted for the sylvan beauties of Aspen, Colorado—quiet and peace for me and snow-capped magnificent wilderness adventure for Gino. I’ve had more than my share of careers, among them, high school teacher, filmmaker, museum designer and curator, hotel decorator, and poet. These days, Gino paints; I write; our children and grandchildren visit from around the globe. And we pretend that life will go on forever.