Erich Fried’s poetry addresses both political and personal themes. Both thematic groups exist in a dialectic where the synthesis is both a concurrence and a convergence. Each provides a refuge from, and creates a resonance in, the other, so that both contents operate as mutual distractors and reminders. The intent of Fried’s oeuvre forms a conduit which channels motivation from common antecedents. At the core of Fried’s poetry are latent anxieties, stemming from early events and relationships. Conscious of the normal psychological response to anxiety, Fried recommends an awareness which allows the anxiety to be combated at its source. He seeks to replace a laming anxiety with a fearless, loving and stimulating variant. This book explores the complex strait between anxiety and hope in the presence of despair.