The first collection in ten years by one of the most respected and loved poets in American poetry.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Carolyn Kizer writes with wit and, well, it's not a word I use a lot, but panache. I've always admired her light verse and wry observations (from "Suppressing the Evidence": "I do not turn on the news. / I and the wine will blot it out."), but I've also come to appreciate the depth in her more serious work. "An American Beauty" addresses a friend's battle with cancer, and uses form very well to heighten both the tension and empathy of the reading experience. The title of this collection refers both to the musicality of Kizer's writing and to the harpy-like sting in some of her work.
Kizer's distinctly irreverent voice, left-leaning politics and mastery of the poetic craft are all showcased in this selection of her poetry and translations spanning a decade. Her frequent use of first-person narrative sounds a more autobiographical than confessional tone. The speaker (who calls herself, in "Fin-de-Siecle Blues," an "old lady") considers her past: youthful hatred of Franco while visiting his war memorial; a longtime friend's battle with cancer and death; and figures from childhood such as a beloved, inscrutable Swedish nanny. Along the way, Kizer employs everything from slanted rhymes to venerable forms like the villanelle and pantoum with a chatty grace that makes the intricacy of her structures all but invisible. Some poems emit a clear whiff of political correctness; e.g., "On a Line from Valery," which takes the French poet's line, "Tout le ciel vert se muert," and turns it into a lament for the environmental destruction brought by the Gulf War. Usually, however, Kizer's ample wit and formal dexterity distinguish her as a poet not merely of sensitivity but, more importantly, of fine sensibility. She is absolutely in her element when translating?and spoofing the act thereof. "In Hell with Virg and Dan," her version of Dante's Canto VXII, was rejected?"quite properly," she concedes?from the Ecco Press's volume of contemporary poets' translations of The Inferno for "not fitting in." In it, she wields her so-called "Antique Hipster" style: "Yo, Dan, just give a look at this repulsive creature/ Called Fraud, the wall-buster; He's the prime polluter." This is priceless, quintessential Kizer.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00040706747
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.
Condition: acceptable. Used book - May contain writing, notes, highlighting, bends or folds. Text is readable, book is clean, and pages and cover mostly intact. May show normal wear and tear. Item may be missing CD. May include library marks. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZBM.1JN3S
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bookmonger.Ltd, HILLSIDE, NJ, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Good. Bumps on corners*. Seller Inventory # mon0000564977
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # D12A-02544
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: As New. Like New condition. A near perfect copy that may have very minor cosmetic defects. Seller Inventory # L08A-01856
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.36. Seller Inventory # G1556591152I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.36. Seller Inventory # G1556591152I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Magus Books Seattle, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Trade Paperback. Condition: VG. used trade paperback edition. lightly shelfworn, corners perhaps slightly bumped. pages and binding are clean, straight and tight. there are no marks to the text or other serious flaws. Seller Inventory # 1106220
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Library House Internet Sales, Grand Rapids, OH, U.S.A.
Softcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. The first collection in ten years by one of the most respected and loved poets in American poetry. Piece(s) of the spine missing. Former library book. Solid binding. Please note the image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item. Ex-Library. Seller Inventory # 123548682
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Arundel Books, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Trade Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 8vo. A Very Good copy. Book has shelfwear, a reading curl to the cover, and smudges on the edges of the text block. Interior is tight, clean, and unmarked. Seller Inventory # 606189
Quantity: 1 available