Self-portrait in a convex mirror.

Ashbery, John (1927-2017).

ISBN 10: 0140422013 / ISBN 13: 9780140422016

Published by Penguin Books, New York, 1976

About this Item

18cm; 83 pages. SIGNED by Ashbery on title page. First appearance of the cover photo of the poet by Darragh Park. Lower right corner of upper cover bumped, crease off the top edge near spine, affecting photo. Lower corner slightly bumped on both outer corners. Part of lower joint abraded, without weakness. A very good copy withal, not dogeared, not marred, not underlined, not broken. John Ashbery won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror." Not only in the title poem, which the critic John Russell has called "one of the finest long poems of our period," but throughout the entire volume, John Ashbery reaffirms the poetic powers that have made him such an outstanding figure in contemporary literature.The front cover photo took on cultural significance. The Wikipedia explains: "The Penguin paperback cover features a glamorous photo portrait of the author by Darragh Park. Journalist Thomas Vinciguerra described Ashbery's pose as if '[stood] in all hunky glory, hips slightly cocked', wearing a 'windowpane shirt open to midchest' and 'tight slacks [that] have no belt loops.' Matthew Zapruder wrote that his look was a 'simultaneously ill-advised and completely stylish ensemble.' Susan M. Schultz said the 'cheesy' cover resembled a somewhat 'cheap romance novel, like the kind you'd see near the checkout counter of a drugstore.' The bold look contrasted sharply with the conservative, uniformly preppy style Ashbery had adhered to throughout the 1960s. David Lehman recalled that, when he met Ashbery in 1967, the poet typically wore 'a tie and a jacket and he always looked very natty.' According to Lehman, his change in style reflected the progress of the post-Stonewall gay liberation movement, as Ashbery could present himself as 'more visibly and publicly who he was.'"Marina Warner called Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror "one of the most remarkable explorations of the idea of the self seen in a mirror, and how your features and your face relate to your inner being. It's an amazing poem.".

Seller Inventory # 6455

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Self-portrait in a convex mirror.
• Publisher: Penguin Books, New York
• Publication Date: 1976
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140422013
• ISBN 13: 9780140422016
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: First paperback edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Gay liberation
  • General Antiquarian Books
  • Stonewall
  • LGBTQ+

About this title

Synopsis

'Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror'was the first of John Ashbery's books to be published in Britain by Carcanet, and this is its third printing. Since it originally appeared here in 1977, three further collections have followed: 'As We Know', 'Shadow Train' and 'A Wave'. 'Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror'was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award and the National Book Critics' Circle Award. The long title poem, a meditation on Parmigianino's famous self-portrait, has become Ashbery's best-known poem. It is accompanied here by a number of shorter pieces - playful, witty, elusive.

Reviews

Self-Portrait won a Pulizer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award, but Ashbery remains famously abstruse. "Something important is going on here," says LJ reviewer Graham Christian, "and on the chance that we figure it out, Selected Poems is worth having."
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