Trans/Versions

Poetry. Here, Clark pays homage to poetic masters who have informed his paths in verse. There are translations of or homages to Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarme, Reverdy, Vallejo, and Brecht. A coherent and yet surprising text, the ultimate desert island grouping; these could take the lover of technique and innuendo a long, long way. Birds feature in several of the poems, not least Baudelaire's image of the albatross as metaphor for the poet: capable of majestic flights but out of sorts when brought down to earth.

Tom Clark (born March 1, 1941) is an American poet, editor and biographer. Clark was born on the Near West Side of Chicago and married Angelica Heinegg, at St. Mark's Church, New York City, on March 22, 1968. Currently (as of 2009) residing in California, Tom Clark's recent books of poetry include SOMETHING IN THE AIR (Shearsman Books, 2010), FEELING FOR THE GROUND (BlazeVOX Books, 2010), THE NEW WORLD (Libellum Books, 2010), TRANS/VERSIONS (Libellum Books, 2010), LIGHT AND SHADE: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS (Coffee House, 2006), and Threnody (effing press, 2006).