Ana Blandiana is one of Romania's most admired and popular poets. Her delicate, subtle and pointed poetry has gained her a large readership at home, where she has received the highest literary awards. Her poetry is direct, personal and uncompromising in its vision; it has strong traditional roots, both literary and spiritual, yet is acutely responsive to present-day concerns. Ana Blandiana's poetry and prose have been widely translated in Europe, but "The Hour of Sand" is the first selection of her poems to appear in English. It introduces a fresh and distinctive voice in Eastern European poetry.