“The greatness of Joseph Brodsky as a poet is associated with his assumption that life should be measured by the requirements of art, but not vice versa. These conversations demonstrate that his friendship had an equally uplifting and stimulating effect on gifted contemporaries. Brodsky arose as a kind of ozone layer, which itself protects and increases the likelihood of poetic life in our time. The conversations are indeed full of life and strongly testify to the great strength of Joseph.”

Seamus Heaney, Nobel Prize laureate in literature (1995)