Product Description
This book is the first critical biography of Paul Celan, a German-speaking East European Jew who was Europe's most compelling postwar poet. It tells the story of Celan's life, offers new translations of his poems, and illuminates the connection between Celan's lived experience and his poetry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A biography which examines Celan's Jewish identity in order to better grasp the poetry
Much of Paul Celan's later poetry is hermetic, and acknowledge by many to be impossible to truly understand without knowledge of the poet's life. Nonetheless, for a long time English speakers had no biography of this influential modern poet. In PAUL CELAN: Poet, Survivor, Jew author John Felstiner covers the whole course of Celan's all-too-brief life, emphasizing the poet's Jewish identity above others. Besides a simple biography, Felsteiner also discusses a number of Celan's poems, which he himself has translated into English (the book assumes no knowledge of German), and also chronicles Celan's output of translations and his relationship to other (especially Jewish) poets.

For Felstiner, Paul Celan's feelings as a Jew play an important role throughout his poetry, but it seems especially important in the early and late periods over the middle. Celan began his mature career as an orphan whose parents perished in the death camps and who himself served forced labour in wartime Romania. This of course, providing the impetus for not only his famous "Todesfuge", *the* poem on the death camps, but also the imagery of much of his first acknowledged volume. In the last decade of Celan's life, on the other hand, the poet was gripped by paranoia that Germany was not sufficiently acknowledging its sins and that neo-Nazis were plotting against him. This, Celan as representative of a race that has not only suffered before but is still hunted today, Felsteiner sees as an important part of the late works.

If I give this biography only three stars, it is because I wish that there was more information about Celan's life and less exegesis of his poetry. Indeed, Celan's mental distress which sent him more than once to a psychiatric clinic is barely touched upon. Had Felsteiner split this into a more substantial biography and a separate work of criticism, the reader who wants to know about the whole of Celan's life would be better served. Nonetheless, for anyone trying to tackle Celan's poetry in English translation (e.g. Michael Hamburger's collection Poems of Paul Celan), this may be useful

Black Milk of Daybreak
Paul Celan was born into what soon became the wrong place and time. His family were German-speaking Jews from the eastern reach of the Austrian Empire. They lived in Czernowitz, capital of the Bukovina region, which passed to Romania just before Celan's birth in 1920. After a nine-month visit to his uncle in Paris where he was exposed to the Surrealists' influence in 1938, then his return to Czernowitz where his studies were interrupted by Soviet and then German occupation in 1940 and 1941, after forced labor in Romania's western mountains, his parents' deportation and death in German-occupied Ukraine, after the Red Army's return in 1944, Celan left home for Bucharest and then Vienna, where he first attracted recognition as a German-speaking poet, and in 1948 he settled in Paris. There he found a haven of sort at the Ecole Normale Superieure, where he taught German language and literature to generations of students (some of whom later contributed to his posthumous fame) and pursued his vocation as a poet in exile, estranged from his German mother tongue and survivor of a world that no longer was.

Coming from a homeland that hardly existed anymore, writing for a German audience that he did not live among or trust, residing in France yet undervalued there, Paul Celan's native tongue itself was the only nation he could claim. Yet his relation to the German language was itself problematic, for the Nazis had abused and contaminated the words that once belonged to Goethe and Holderlin. Celan's austere idiom, mindful of death and horror, is rooted in his struggle to realize--by way of uninnocent language--"that which happened", the understatement he used to designate events of 1933-45. As he put it when receiving the City of Bremen's prize for his work in 1958, his language had to "pass through the thousand darknesses of deathbringing speech. It passed through and gave back no words for that which happened; yet it passed through this happening. Passed through and could come to light again, `enriched' by all this."

The biographer gives detailed accounts of several episodes that took a heavy toll on the poet's sensitive feelings: the accusation of plagiarism that accompanied the publication of his first volume in France and that was to resurface later in his carrier; his almost paranoid belief that Nazism was again on the rise in post-war Germany and that Neo-Nazis were orchestrating a machination against him ("you can hardly imagine how things really look again in Germany," he wrote to a friend in 1960.) Paul Celan refused to submit a poem to Martin Heidegger for a Festschrift on his seventieth birthday, mindful of the philosopher's past complicity with Nazism and his enduring failure to recant after the war, but he nonetheless signed the Black Forest hermit's guestbook "with a hope for a coming word in the heart" during a visit to Todtnauberg in 1967.

Recognition came late, and for much of his life was confined to the German-speaking world. When a European Jewish poet's turn came for the Nobel Prize in 1966, the more accessible Nelly Sachs got it, not him. His bouts of depression and psychic distress led to several hospitalizations. The poet concluded his life on the 20th of April 1970 by jumping from the Pont Mirabeau into the Seine, drowning himself. On his desk, a biography of Holderlin was found opened to an underlined passage: "Sometimes this genius goes dark and sinks down into the bitter well of his heart."

John Felstiner devotes a whole chapter to Celan's most well-known poem, Todesfuge. Although similarities with Picasso's Guernica or Yeats's `Easter 1916' come to mind, no work of art has exposed the exigencies of its time so radically as this one, whose speakers--Jewish prisoners tyrannized by a camp commandant--start off with the words: " Schwarze Milch der Fruehe wir trinken sie abends"--"Black milk of daybreak we drink it at dusk"--and evoke the fate that awaits them: "Wir schaufeln ein Grab in der Lueften da liegt man nicht eng" --"we shovel a grave in the air there you won't lie too cramped."

Crucial for understanding Celan
Todesfuege (Death Fuge) is Celan's most famous poem, although he wrote it when he was only 24.Although it might seem cryptic, it is quite accessible in comparison with his later poems. Felsteiner does an excellent job of helping the reader tounderstand what Celan must have been like and further allows insight into his poetry in a straightforward, readable way. Because Celan is so difficult to understand, many critics, including Derrida, tend to interpret him in their own images.

Felsteiner, on the other hand, is more concerned with portraying Celan accurately than using him as a platform to promote his own agendas. I would strongly recommend this book as an introduction to Celan.

Somebody Take a Picture
I appreciate this book most for its study of the relationship between Paul Celan and his most famous poem, "Deathfugue."Before the English translation of that poem in this book is a photograph with the caption,"Orchestra playing 'Death Tango' in Janowska Road Camp, Lvov, ca.1942."Prisoners used that term "for whatever music was beingplayed when the Germans took a group out to be shot."(p. 30)Beforereading this poem, I had read that it was impossible to get permission fromthe holder of the copyright to translate it into English and publish it,even if an American expert wanted to call it the best poem that had beenwritten in the German language since World War II.The poem may have moremeaning for those who already know what it means, and who would not bepuzzled by, "We shovel a grave in the air there you won't lie toocramped."

A must-read
This is one of the most powerful books imaginable, touching chords in the human heart that we would often choose to ignore. It is the story of a man whose courage and creativity helped him communicate truth in a world thatwas desperate to silence his voice. Please read this book....it will changeeverything. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Ashbery was right. . .
John Ashbery blurbs this translation of Poet in New York with, "Pablo Medina and Mark Statman have produced the definitive version of Lorca's masterpiece, in language that is as alive and molten today as was the original in 1930." I couldn't agree more, and happen to think that quote says it all. This translation is true to the Spanish, translated pretty much literally, while still maintaining the poetics, stylings, and spirit of Lorca. If you have to read the poems in English, highly recommend this translation. There's really nothing more to be said.

Lorca
This is a great book with very good translations of Lorca's most surreal poetry. I would recommend it to anyone.

An excellent and thrilling new translation.
Federico Garcia Lorca arrived in New York just in time to witness the chaos created by the 1929 stock market crash. Lorca was totally unprepared for what he found in New York, as Pablo Medina and Mark Statman point out in their excellent and thrilling new translation of "Poet in New York": "Coming to rid himself of grief, he encounters an abundance of grief; coming to witness the power of human endeavor, he finds inhumanity, tragedy, failure."

From this extreme culture shock poured the phantasmagoric poems of "Poet in New York," in this bilingual edition featuring both Lorca's originals and Medina and Statman's fine, faithful, idiomatic translations. This was the first translation of "Poet in New York" to be done after the tragedy of 9/11, published early in 2008; what Medina and Statman couldn't foresee, however, was how the current Wall Street meltdown--the worst since 1929--would further underline the pertinence and urgency of Lorca's apocalyptic vision of the city. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers and WaMu, these lines from "Dance of Death" sound as if Lorca could have written them for a CNN report:

In time the cobra will hiss in the final floors,
the nettles shake patios and porches,
the Market become a pyramid of moss,
the reeds follow the rifles,
and soon, very soon.
Oh, Wall Street!
... Read more

Product Description
Like music and dance, poetry is an art that antedates our secular civilization, and it has always borne the marks of its origin as a means by which to approach and praise the divine. The poems in this volume, drawn from cultures throughout the world, testify to the power of language to embody our profoundest spiritual needs, our most sacred aspirations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Stuff
After consuming several of these pocket collections over the years, I've come to the conclusion that Peter Washington is the best in the business when it comes to compiling poetic anthologies. His selections and the organizations are always superb. I was particularly excited to see what he had come up with in the "Prayers" collection. And it's good. It's perhaps not quite at the level of some of the other collections in this series. There is some inconsistency as to what constitutes prayer, and the result is definitely a bit of unevenness. I'm still not exactly sure what I think about the organization of the book either. Still, there are a number of true gems here that make the volume well worth the read. The selections of Thomas Traherne, George Herbert, and St. Francis were particularly inspired. It's really a fine collection for devotional reading or for reflection.

Poems as Prayers
Organized in the hours of the liturgy, this book presents the prayers ofpoets throughout various traditions and across time.I reveled in thebeauty of the poetry and found inspiration for prayer. ... Read more

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Here are more than two hundred of the best haiku of Japanese literature translated by one of America’s premier poet-translators. The haiku is one of the most popular and widely recognized poetic forms in the world. In just three lines a great haiku presents a crystalline moment of image, emotion, and awareness. This illustrated collection includes haiku by the great masters from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Perfect
It's little; it's beautiful; it can fit in a pocket; it explains the form; and the translations are lovely.

I've been bringing it to work.I didn't today.And I'm already missing it.

If you love haiku, get this book.If you don't know yet but want to, start with this book.My bet is you'll know before you're finished reading, if you've gone this far.

Trying to get this review published for a third time...
Sam Hamill (ed.), The Sound of Water: Haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Other Poets (Shambhala, 1995)

Very small, very concentrated book. One hundred twenty-five pages, most with two haiku per page (some pages are simple illustrations from the period). I was unfortunately too much of an idiot to keep this with me until I wrote the review so I could quote some of the world's finest haiku at you, so all I can say is trust me on this one: there's a reason these guys are known as the masters of haiku and senryu. It's also a surprising look at the earthiness of the form; too many anthologies of classic haiku seem like revisionist histories, quoting the stuff the translator or editor thinks is noble and leaving out the poems about drunkenness or taking a leak or lechery or what have you. Hamill, thankfully, has no filters (in fact, in his intro, he singles out one of Issa's faecal pieces to point out this very thing). As with a lot of books along these lines, my only problem with it is that it's far too short; it's possible to polish this off in an hour, if you don't savor each piece. Even then, it'll probably take you an afternoon. I spent a couple of weeks on it, thinking and reflecting; given a book five time this size, I would have been more than happy to sit with it for a few months. ****

Sweet and intriguing as cherry blossom shadows
This is a delightful little book for any haiku lover - small enough to carry in pocket or purse for a bit of meditation anywhere. Occasional sumi ink illustrations, nice little intro to Basho, Issa and the art of haiku.

The Sound of Water
This book gives examples of haiku by various poets.There is some interesting art included and some useful information.

Exquisite Little Book
I keep ordering this small book again and again to give as a gift.Both the poetry and the presentation are exquisite.I love the book's compact size, which seems suggestive of the condensed beauty of the haiku it holds inside. I also love the artwork on the cover. Someone with a lot of sensitivity designed this book. The selection of poetry is equally compelling. ... Read more

Product Description

A rare and thrilling listening experience. A choice gathering of some of the twentieth century's greatest poetry... read by the century's greatest poets - here available on CD

A reawakened love for the sound of poetry has made modern poems subtly different from the poems of the eighteenth and nineteenth centures. We have only to listen to these poets reading their own works to know how important their interpretations are to a full comprehension of their poems. The ministerial intonations of Eliot, the passionate orchestrations of Thomas, the very very precise formulations of Cummings, the easy conversational inflection of Frost are integral, lending subtle clarifications which go beyond the printed page.

The fact that this recording includes the voice of Yeats is something of a miracle. In the early 1930's, when the thought of recording poets occurred to few, Yeats himself made several recordings for radio broadcast. By sheer luck, an unmutilated copy was preserved; and now the rich and melodious voice can be heard by a new generation.

The Caedmon Poetry Collection eliminates the struggle for perfect communication between author and reader. Just listen and you'll understand...

Contents:

Customer Reviews (9)

A Wonderful Collection!
I did not know what to expect when I bought this item: I am passionate about poetry, but never enjoyed it too much when read aloud. Now I know that what was lacking was talent and a thorough understanding of the poems being read, as only the poet can have.

Highly recommended!

Excellent collection
Poetry is meant to be listened to! Good collection, even if a bit uneven. The notes are not helpful.

Hearing vs Reading
I'm a self-confessed philistine when it comes to poetry - even obvious and popular poems can leave me cold or confused. And it's not through want of trying.

So I thought that hearing poetry read by the author might be enlightening: and it was. This is a good collection with all the famous names from the age of early recorded sounds on thru to the end of the century: Frost, Pound, cummings, Plath. What's odd is how mannered they all sound - even the Welshman Dylan Thomas, who traded on his deep regional roots, delivers in plummy tones.

Helped me to "get" what's cool about poetry
Wish I listened to this while studying poetry in school - it would have helped me to "get" the beauty and attraction of poetry.

It's great fun to read up on the poet's bios on Wikipedia while listening to each of them on this tape.

Beware! The CD is recorded incorrectly!
My copy of the collection must be recorded incorrectly.The voices are sped up and sound very unnatural.The recording speed must have been set at the wrong value for each track, because some poets sound like a chipmunk and others sound almost okay.The CD plays the same way on a audiophile CD player and two different computers.I recorded a wav file and varied the sampling rate using Matlab.A technician must have transposed 22050 to 20250 Hz on some of the tracks.Though, the other track speeds don't make sense. ... Read more

Product Description
Very accessible, brief, introduction to physics for the non-science major. A text written for the curious, non-scientist who wants to know how modern physics came to be, and figure out what lies behind the stories in the science columns of their newspapers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Physics for Poets
I am a retired college professor and nuclear physicist.This book, Physics for Poets by Robert March, is an interesting and well-written survey of physics for the non-specialist.I recommend it for anyone who wants to find out what physics is all about without first mastering calculus and differential equations.Good book.

Physics Without Math!!
Everybody (almost) gets physics and now I can add myself to that august society.This is a big jump for a liberal arts person and this little book is the key.

Physics for the Humanities
As an educator, I am thrilled to report great success with this text. Dr. March more than aptly guides the average physics layperson through an exciting and well organized journey in the development of modern physics. The natural integration of historical narrative with foundational physics is a stunning achievement. The guided lessons are well complemented by the exercises in the appendix. As a whole this text provides the basis for an enjoyable learning experience.

I would recommend this text for anyone planning on teaching an introductory level physics course or sojourning alone through this exhilarating subject matter.

Can be used as Refreshment for Survivors of Freshman Physics
March gets it just right by employing the soft to understand the hard.I read this book during my sophomore (after having finished my ABET accredited physics) Christmas vacation.It started me on a path that lead to a very powerful and useful understanding of physics.

Not just for poets, but for everyone interested in modern physics
When I looked at the title of this book, I thought that the contents would be much different than they are. It is a popular summary of the major ideas of modern physics and a short history of how those ideas were developed. I did not see where the poetry reference could be applied. While there are a few references to earlier people and times, the discussion starts with Galileo and his exploration of the laws of physics. One interesting point was that March describes a bit of the personality of Galileo, calling him " often boorish, pugnacious and petty." To most modern scientists, Galileo was a martyred hero, forced to recant under pressure from the church. The picture painted by March makes him seem more human, which I found refreshing.
The next step is to Isaac Newton and his development of the three laws of motion, his explanations of the behavior of gravity and calculus. Energy in all its' forms is the next point of discussion, followed by the famous Michelson-Morley experiment that "proved" that the Earth does not move. This leads to relativity and the role of Albert Einstein. The final section covers atoms, quantum mechanics and quarks.
The writing is very well done, all textual explanations are easy to follow and March spends the appropriate amount of time in describing the personalities of the people who made the discoveries. He also places each of them in their appropriate historical context, describing the current state of the scientific world when they made their discoveries. However, unlike some other popular writers of physics books, March includes equations in his explanations. I applaud him for this; I consider science books without the appropriate equations to be the ultimate in dumbing down for commercial advantage.
... Read more

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Product Description
Poetry Speaks features the work of the most influentialwriters in modern poetry—written and performed—from 1892 to1997. This book combines their most significant poems in print withthe authors themselves reading their poetry on audio CD. Poets rangefrom Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot and DorothyParker to Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath and GwendolynBrooks.

The power of spoken poetry is at the heart of Poetry Speaks. Poetry isa vocal art, an art meant to be read aloud. Listening to a poem readaloud can be a transforming experience. Poetry Speaks not onlyintroduces the finest work from some of the greatest poets who everlived, it reintroduces the oral tradition of poetry.

Poetry Speaks features over 40 poets in chapters each containing:
• The poems that are read by the poet on the audio CD
• Additional poems in print form to allow the reader to further explore the poet
• A short biography and photo of each poet
• Original manuscripts and letters for most of the featured poets
• An original essay for each poet written by today’s most influential poets, a veritable Who’s Who of poetry, including: Seamus Heaney on W.B. Yeats; Richard Wilbur on Robert Frost; Mark Strand on Wallace Stevens; Jorie Graham on Elizabeth Bishop; Glyn Maxwell on Dylan Thomas; and Rita Dove on Melvin B. Tolson.

Poetry Speaks—combining the talents of great poets past and living,their words written and spoken—is the most ambitious, comprehensiveand innovative poetry project to be published in years, and is sure tobe the model for collections to come.

Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove and Dana Gioia are featured EditorialAdvisors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

What a deal!
This book was so much cheaper than buying it at a normal bookstore.It is in great shape and the shipping was very fast.I am very satisfied.

Poetry Speaks in Scratchy Tomes
I was excited when my Poetry Speaks arrived in the mail.Who wouldn't want to hear the voices of their favorite poets reading their original works of literature aloud? Unfortunately, how I envisioned the readings, did not come into fruition.The recordings were scratchy, almost as if Thomas Edison was reading his phonograph rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" for the very first time.With today's technology, surely something can be done to clean up these recordings.The poetry itself earns an "A" while the recordings a "C-".

Poetry Speaks: Hear Great Poets Read Their Own Work from Tennyson to Plath
Once in every 100 years a book is created which captures, both in written and spoken word, the ongoing development of an art form. Poetry Speaks is one such book. Glancing at its cover and size, some people will conclude it to be a 'coffee table book', impressive to look at but hardly ever read. For those persons whoread the smaller print: Hear Great Poets Read their Work from Tennyson to Plath, they experience a pregnant pause ..'Tennyson to Plath'...Tennyson??It is then book's pages have called and the reader/listener are absorbed into its binding. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Walt Whitman and Robert Browning, were all 19th century poets who died in the late 1880s - 1890s. Yet, because of wax cylinders and the wizardry of Thomas Edison, his desire to capture the human voice, and his love of poetry,1886,he recorded each. Nearly 120 yars later,we are able to listen to these poets reading selections of their own writings. We are invited into the studio, hear their puzzlements, frstrations aw well as triumphant celebration, after recording and hearing,for the first time, their own voices.

Poetry Speaks not only has selections of writings, it includes three CDs. Narrated by Charles Osgood, listeners are escorted through a century of recorded voices and explains how recording itself changed the way poetry was presented when read out load. Within the book's pages, each selected poet is introduced with a brief biography, explanation of th poet's style,as well as how outside events and societal changes and influencesshaped both poet and poetry.Some presenters include handwritten copies with lined out deletions and revisions. The study of each poet is an educational find.
The collection is a treasure. Whether you enjoy poetry, find it a bit
intimidating or just what to share something a very special for a very special person...such as yourself, Poetry Speaks will let your spirit soar. You will need to take it from the coffee tabe, open its pages, and read along with its authors.

Margaret C. Barno

Poetry Speaks
Fantastic short and to the point essays about the greats of poetry along with the ability to hear them read in their own voices - invaluable asset to the serious poet or poetry fan.

History through an iPod
The Poetry Speaks collection features works and readings by 42 of the greatest poets ever.

The book itself is rather weighty (literally), but the essays and poems themselves are organized in such a way as to make even the non-poet appreciate them.

The one complaint I have about the collection is the narrator's unbearable way of trailing off mid-sentence. The "introductions" to the poets and their works were bearable enough--- as I said, the book is very user friendly and is a good intoduction to the world of poetry to those who dont know Donne from Shelley--- however, not saying the whole sentence (whether for theatrical effect or simply to save CD space) leaves listeners frustrated. For example, in the introduction to Robert Browning: "At the end of the historical recording, Browning..." Browning what? We know that Browning apologizes for forgetting the words in "How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix", but with simply "..." Browning could have hit Thomas Edison over the head with a phonograph for all we know.

Mysterious narration is not a good enough reason not to get the book however. The joy of hearing Whitman and Pound and Plath far surpasses even the most irritating introductons.

The solution: import all the audio files onto your computer, delete the introductons, transfer the files onto your iPod and voilà. C'est parfait. Find a nice shady tree to sit under, balance the book on your knees, switch on your iPod and experience history. ... Read more

Product Description
A thought-provoking mix of poetry, creative manifesto and criticism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Modernist techniques within lyric contexts
This book presents the work of 10 important contemporary poets: Rae Armantrout, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Lucie Brock-Broido, Jorie Graham, Barbara Guest, Lyn Hejinian, Brenda Hillman, Susan Howe, Ann Lauterbach, and Harryette Mullen.

Each is represented by a sample of work, a brief poetics statement, and a critic's essay which provides context to readers new to the work.

In her introductory essay co-editor Juliana Spahr says this collection aims to begin a dialogue between the two often falsely separated poetries of Language poetry and lyric. "The unevenness of these two terms, one a social grouping and the other a genre, remains a sign of some dissonance even as critics often pit Language and lyricism against each other with straw-man models," she writes.

Rae Armantrout writes that her own poetry involves an equal counterweight of assertion and doubt. "It's a Cheshire poetics, one that points two ways then vanishes in the blur of what is seen and what is seeing, what can be known and what it is to know." Hank Lazer writes that Armantrout "gives us a typically lyrical moment, but that moment inevitably is tied to some counterbalancing skepticism, so that the moment becomes ironized or self-conflicted."

Susan Howe says, "I think a lot of my work is about breaking free. Starting free and being captured and breaking free again and being captured again." Ming Qian Ma writes that Howe's poetry demonstrates a bent to contrive a method, or countermethod, to break free from the language trap through a `productive violence' highly informed rather than random."

Spahr says, "Reading these essays all together has shown me that, while there is a clear difference in intent between a poem written for investigating the self and one written for investigating language or community, it is more and more the case that the techniques used might be similar. In other words, form is no longer the clear marker of intention or meaning that it was 30 years ago."
... Read more

Product Description
Bob Dylan and his artistic accomplishments have been explored, examined, and dissected year in and year out for decades, and through almost every lens. Yet rarely has anyone delved extensively into Dylan's Jewish heritage and the influence of Judaism in his work. In Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet, Seth Rogovoy, an award-winning critic and expert on Jewish music, rectifies that oversight, presenting a fascinating new look at one of the most celebrated musicians of all time.

Rogovoy unearths the various strands of Judaism that appear throughout Bob Dylan's songs, revealing the ways in which Dylan walks in the footsteps of the Jewish Prophets. Rogovoy explains the profound depth of Jewish content -- drawn from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Kabbalah -- at the heart of Dylan's music, and demonstrates how his songs can only be fully appreciated in light of Dylan's relationship to Judaism and the Jewish themes that inform them.

From his childhood growing up the son of Abe and Beatty Zimmerman, who were at the center of the small Jewish community in his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to his frequent visits to Israel and involvement with the Orthodox Jewish outreach movement Chabad, Judaism has permeated Dylan's everyday life and work. Early songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" derive central imagery from passages in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah; mid-career numbers like "Forever Young" are infused with themes from the Bible, Jewish liturgy, and Kabbalah; while late-period efforts have revealed a mind shaped by Jewish concepts of Creation and redemption. In this context, even Dylan's so-called born-again period is seen as a logical, almost inevitable development in his growth as a man and artist wrestling with the burden and inheritance of the Jewish prophetic tradition.

Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet is a fresh and illuminating look at one of America's most renowned -- and one of its most enigmatic -- talents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

An Audacious, Rewarding Read
As a Bob Dylan fan for going on three decades, since the beginning of my teenage years, I've read several books about the Man, including Sean Wilentz's newly acclaimed, ultimately overrated "Bob Dylan in America." I'm therefore prepared to make a surprisingly strong claim, that Seth Rogovoy's "Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet" is likely the best book on the subject to date.

Rogovoy begins his study with a remarkable assertion, that Jewishness--defined theologically, culturally, ethnically--is the animating feature holding together Dylan's enormous and varied body of work. Given both the relative paucity of Dylan's references to Jewish culture (outside of the Hebrew Bible also shared with Christianity) and his brief but intense involvement with evangelical (and evangelizing) Christianity, as well as his customarily cryptic approach to personal questions, this is a tough argument to defend. Astonishingly, Rogovoy succeeds gracefully in the task he has set for himself, both because of the creative persuasiveness of the arguments he marshals to make his case, as well as the flexibility with which he responds to and interprets Dylan's work. Unlike the work of more celebrated commentators such as Wilentz, Christopher Ricks, or Greil Marcus, Rogovoy's approach provides an animating thesis for understanding Dylan as a coherent creative figure, and allows for the complexity of his subject and the co-existence of other interpretive viewpoints.

To understand Dylan essentially as a Jewish artist certainly requires a great deal of complexity, sophistication, and shrewdness, given Dylan's own contradictory attitude toward his ostensible ethnic heritage (an attitude that Rogovoy documents exhaustively in this study). To say that Dylan has been contradictory on the subject nonetheless puts him in excellent company among modern Jewish artists and intellectuals: his work is no less Jewish and no more conflicted than Heinrich Heine's, Gustav Mahler's, Sigmund Freud's, Franz Kafka's, Woody Allen's, or any of the Roths' (Henry, Joseph, or Philip). The partly Jewish, wholly conflicted Theodor Adorno once said of Mahler's "Jewish element" that "One can no more put one's finger on this element than in any other work of art: it shrinks from identification yet to the whole remains indispensable." So too can one make the same claim of Dylan.

Yet Rogovoy demonstrates with singular perceptiveness that even when seeming to run from Jewishness--whether into the arms of African-American music or the Born-Again Church (neither of which have historically been very far from one another)--Dylan's work enacts a perennial strategy of masquerade and transformation (Kafka would perhaps call it "metamorphosis," had he written in English) for modern Jewish culture while at the same time echoing and recontextualizing Jewish religious, rhetorical, and moral values.

There is of course more to Dylan's work than his ethnic origins, just as there is more to it than the sum of the songs he learned in the (thoroughly Jewish) folk milieu of Greenwich Village. Rogovoy's writing not only never denies this fact, it remains open to the ambiguity and nuance essential to the creation of any great art. Though he offers a compelling interpretation of Dylan based on a comprehensive knowledge of his subject's achievements, as well as an impressive range of references from the kabbalah and kitsch that constitutes modern Jewish culture (his opening comparison of Dylan with the Yiddish poet Eliakum Zunzer is especially delightful, inspired, and provocative), he is best at suggesting a depth and texture to Dylan's songwriting that can encompass more than one interpretation. His criticism therefore achieves for Dylan what no previous commentator has managed to do, yet which all great art demands: he provides a structure of understanding through which Dylan's work can speak, in distilled form, for itself.

exceptional
i have read many dylan books. this one ranks way up there. the author demonstrates that dylan has relied heavily on the bible for a great deal of his inspiration and he explores the true prophetic nature of dylan's work. it is an exceptional analysis with many brilliant and inspired parts. i absolutely love this book and will probably read it again. it is highly recommended for anyone deeply interested in bob's work. at one point he goes a little too far in suggesting that dylan regreted his deep involvement with christ's teachings but the rest of the book is spectacular. i can't recommend this book enough.

A Sloppy Piece of Scholarship
In order to build his case for Bob Dylan as a current practiconer of the Jewish faith, Mr.Regovoy fails to include any evidence having the nerve to run contrary to his to his theories. This is exclusive scholarship at its lowest, as lyrics, quoatations from Dylan, and other evidence clearly show Mr. Dylan is still--thirty years after his famous "born again" conversion-- a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ.Unlike Mr. Regovoy, I don't claim to know anthing about Dylan's faith beyond what he has said in interviews, andof course in his lyrics. Perhaps Mr. Regovoy is simply ignorant of the New Testament and the Christian faith?

Nevertheless he skips over any material supporting the view of "Dylan the believer"--perhaps a "Messianic Jew,"--but a believer nonetheless.

Here are a few of many, many examples. I'd be glad to produce more upon request and prvide "chapter and verse."

Dylan told Mikal Gillmore in a 1984 ROLLING STONE interview that he believed
literally in both the Old and New Testaments.

Many of Bob's lyrics begining and including INFIDELS, his supposed return to Judiaism, include explcit phrases from the New Testament. Here are a few lyrical examples; I apologize for not having my Bible handy, but would be glad to cite chapter and verse upon request:

On MODERN TIMES (2006) Dylan sings "A few more years of hard work, than there'll be a thousand years of happiness" (The Levee's Gonna Break")-- a line right out of the Book of Revelation. On the same album Bob declares "Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king" ("Thunder on the Mountain").

Many songs on the 1989 album OH MERCY reference Christian scripture, including a nod to the Sermon on the Mount, while 1990's UNDER the RED SKY contains "Cat's in the Well," and its line " And the servant's at the door"(Revelation, again) plus other Christian-themed songs.

Bobplays Friday night shows and often performs old-timey bluegrass gospel songs in concert. Finally for now: When Bob sings the great song "Bline Willie McTell" in concert, he always changes the recorded line from "Jerusalem" to "New Jerusalem"(that darn Revelation again!).

I'm at work so I have to cut this short. Please respond with any questions, etc.
I apologize for the rushed nature of this missive, but believe it is important to provide a Christian point-of-view--a perspective ignored by Seth in his book.

Unlike Seth I don't claim to know what's in Bob's head. I do know that his "body language" from at least 1967's "Sing on the Cross" to his new Christmas album consistentlypoints toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless you for taking the time and effort to produce your book, Seth. And no hard feelings. I'd be glad to provide you with more detailed information for no extra charge.

Best to all, Bob Brodsky

A beautiful book
This is a beautiful and fascinating book. Of course it's well known that before Bob Dylan became Bob Dylan he was Robert Zimmerman, a skinny Jewish kid from Minnesota who was fascinated by folk music lore. But for all the books written about Dylan's life and art, few authors have delved into the role his religous background played in forming the man he became. This is particularly odd because Dylan has gone through so many highly public phases of religious enlightenment. Rogovoy explores the Judaic thread that's run through Dylan's life and reveals a much more complicated artist than most people realize. All Dylan fans should have this on their shelves.

Ain't no neutral ground--and shouldn't be
Seth Rogovoy'sbook is a valuable new voice in the already crowded field of writing on Dylan and spirituality. He traces an arc through Dylan's career based on the tradition of Jewish prophecy, and he works hard to do justice to several scruples: one scrupleacknowledges that Dylan's own beliefs are not accessible, and that this *prophetic* interpretation is not, in fact, a decoding of Dylan's own faith. Another scruple acknowledges that the facts of Dylan's life and career are too many branches from too many roots to be reduced to a single, unifying source. Another scruple is Rogovoy's personal commitment to his argument, which makes the book an affecting narrative of one man's decades-long relation to art that speaks powerfully and constantly to him.
The practical benefit to serious Dylan listeners is Rogovoy's inventory of passages from Jewish scripture throughout Dylan's lyrics. We're familiar with many Biblical phrases in the songs, and Rogovoy opens up that familiarity into discoveries that were new and interesting to me. Most are utterly defensible, some allusions in the bookrequire a generous imagination to hear, but on the whole this inventory is compelling and reflects hard and rational work.
As an overview of Dylan's career, serious and informed fans may find some familiar summary here, but there is enough that's provocative to merit reading the entire thing. And I'm grateful that Rogovoy found the time to rush in a brief and lively coda chapter on Together Through Life.
If you're new to Dylan, and have a strong interest in the spirituality and religious traditions in his work, this book provides a smart and accessible overview to Dylan's career in that context.
I had the great pleasure of hosting Seth Rogovoy in a Dylan course I'm leading in NY, and he is a generous and passionate, quick-witted and knowledgeable speaker.(And in the interests of transparency, I did buy my own copy of his book before meeting him.)
The book and the person, I can recommend both.
Nina Goss
Editor, Montague Street
[...] ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

A Cautionary Tale of Never Growing Up
I, too, was greatly impressed by MFK Fisher's books - they had everything -- an appreciation of food, wine, travel, writing, husbands, lovers, children and always money.Yet, my appreciation of these tales, I think, reveal a retarded adolescence on my part.

Reardon's biography is well written, very informative, and considerate.It is the work of someone who is grown, mature.MFK Fisher never grew up.And I think that's what is at the heart of some readers dislike for her.To blame the biographer for this is shooting the messenger.

It's clear from this biography that MFK Fisher's personality did not grow beyond the age of 16 or so.Her children were props to her romance of her life.It was beyond cruel not to reveal the father of her daughter. I think that Reardon had to deal with some bad feelings of her own about MFK -- the mystification that occurs when people we admire do not seem admirable at all.From there, how do we accept their work -- do we decide that the artist's life has nothing to do with the work?

The romance Fisher created of herself, the mirror she created in her work, should have been obvious to me as a reader.No one's life could be so fluently lived. Yet, I can also see that her theatrics must have been quite compelling, very enlivening...but not real.

There is a darkness to her character that Reardon describes but never actually states.So I end up seeing this biography as completely necessary because MFK Fisher is part of our culture.She inspired many imaginations -- culinary, literary, everyday.But it was all a romance... a dark romance of someone in love with her image -- an adolescent.

This is a first rate biography for its fairness, its scholarship, and its clear writing.

Reardon captures the real MFK
Having read 10 of Fisher's books I was beginning to not like her all that much and then along comes Reardon's biography and I like MFK even less. Fisher was a talented writer but truly a narrcicist who sponged off her parents and hung out with others, mostly well to do and who were "artists and writers"; people who, for the most part, never really worked. What I found hardest to take was the fact that she never told her oldest daughter who her father was - even in MFK's dying days she refused Anna's request to tell her who this man was. I am afraid I will never read my remaining Fisher books - Too bad, I want to like her but it will be hard to forget the facts laid out by Reardon.

Not Always Pretty
I enjoyed Joan Reardon's intimate biography of the food writer MFK Fisher quite a lot but the pleasures of reading it deepened into dispiriting reflections on how intrusive biography can be.Taking its title from an inane description of Fisher;s writing by John Updike, POET OF THE APPETITE peers almost literally into the abyss, the destruction and mixed feelings left behind by a talented, "play-acting" lady's sweep through life.Reardon details the events of Fisher's three marriages almost as though she'd been there, and she brings to life some long affairs as well.Before reading this book, I don't remember knowing that Fisher had often had to fight off members of her own sex, and occasionally she succumbed, bragging about it later.In contrast to the three dimensionality imparted to Fisher's male lovers, it is perhaps unfortunate that Reardon seems unwilling to portray the estimable Marietta Voorhees as anything other than a quarrelsome, needy, aged and ugly pest, whose function in Fisher's life was to whine and to fret about her mother.

Meanwhile a comparable affair with a man, her late in life hook up with Esuqire editor and Hemingway buddy Arbold Gingrich, a married man no less, is presented as kind of cute in that old-lovers Cocoon way.

Most distasteful is Reardon's prompt, efficient way of laying out the whole sad story of Anna Parrish, Fisher's younger daughter.After reading the facts of her life in this book, how could poor Anna ever raise her head high again?Reardon eviscerates her as a hedonistic hippie who let her toddler walk across a six lane highway unattended, while she was having a manic episode on a commune.I guess part of the point is that Fisher's karma finally caught up with her.

And what about the food industry, which drove Fisher to restless spasms of having to produce a new book every year even when she was dying, or trying to?Those late books are looking more and more grotesque, like the late De Koonings produced by "the Master" in the stages of Alzheimers Disease.And yet, as Reardon shows, Fisher was complicit in their production.Anything for a buck or so it seems.I liked reading the book, its cool analysis, its thorough research, its sturdy construction, best of all for showing us, in more detail than entirely necessary, how a legend fights its way into being, and folks, it isn't always pretty.

Oh well and Ho Hum
If you have read the published journals and collected letters,this book is largely redundant.Ms Reardon has meticulously documented how she has supplemented these with interviews and excerpts from the Fisher papers at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe.Despite the significant effort and research,I'm not sure that this book has added significant content or understanding.I believe that we are all human beings with our own frailties and foibles and I think that Ms Reardon has tried to fairly capture that aspect of Ms Fisher's life.However I think Ms Fisher's voice in the published journals and letters does this as well.

A Very Good Biography of a most important culinary writer
`Poet of the Appetites, The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher' by Joan Reardon is, obviously, a biography of America's greatest culinary essayist. It is important to distinguish Ms. Fisher's subject from her great contemporaries, Julia Child and James Beard, who wrote about food and cooking. The point of the title of this book is that Ms. Fisher wrote about eating and the enjoyment of eating.

Ms. Reardon is eminently qualified to do the biography of Ms. Fisher, as she was a friend and associate of Ms. Fisher for several years and a commentator on her works in earlier writings. Her main problem was that the eminent writing stylist, Ms. Fisher wrote so many memoirs on various parts of her own life that it may have been hard to compete with her subject.

In Ms. Reardon's favor is the fact that Ms. Fisher had a tendency to `play fast and loose with her renditions of events' (quote from Ms. Reardon's introduction). This means that while Ms. Fisher's description of, for example, her early 1930s life with her first husband in Dijon in `Long Ago in France: The Years in Dijon' may be more interesting to read than Ms. Reardon's account of the same period, Joan Reardon is more likely to be giving us the unvarnished story.

Part of my problem in reading this biography may have been the fact that I knew relatively little of Ms. Fisher's life. Unlike my reading the biographies of Julia Child and James Beard, I had no sense of anticipation to discover how, for example, Julia Child acquired her passion for French cooking.

My exposure up to this point had been a brief essay by James Villas on an encounter with Ms. Fisher late in her career. And, many of her most famous pieces were published by the early 1950's, when the biggest events in her life were her private problems with husband number two and her daughters. When I reached this point in her life, the reading becomes much more labored.

Ms. Reardon's narrative is, I am convinced, extremely accurate, albeit not very engaging. It is obvious from financial difficulties why Ms. Fisher wished to disengage from her second husband Donald Friede, but I simply get no strong sense of why she fell out of love with her first husband, Al Fisher, aside from her interest in Dillwyn Parrish.

As I write this, I get the sense that maybe I wanted too much, but I will go with my visceral reaction and say that Ms. Reardon's straight talk may not get behind the events quite as well as I may hope.

The problem may also be in the fact that where Child and Beard had such public, active lives, Fisher's life was quite private.

The very best thing about this book is that it gives you a new perspective on Fisher's own writings and add to their value. The book may or may not encourage you to read Fisher's works, in spite of John Thorne's enthusiastic recommendation on the back cover.

My final take on this book is the fact that I have read other culinary biographies with more interest than I got from this book, but I still consider this an excellent biography of a very important American writer.
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Customer Reviews (5)

Story of Courage
The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle is a touching young adult novel that is written in verse. The story of the young poet slave is definitely not a happy one; but the ending will leave you feeling inspired to cherish the life you have. The novel is based on a true story about the life of Juan Francisco Manzano. Juan is a young man who was born into slavery in the late 1700's. He was blessed with a rare intelligence for the arts, especially for poetry. While young he could not read, but he could memorize beautiful sonnets, plays, verses and sermons with ease and then recite them with perfection. The upper class loved him, and his owners forced him to recite at parties all around, all the while treating him worse than the dirt they trod on. Although Juan had great parents who gave everything to have him free, all they gave was disregarded by the upper class and he was beat and tortured to the amusement of those that had money and power

This book had a way of putting my life into prospective more than any other book that I have read. The book is written in many different voices.As the reader hops from character to character and their point of view about the young Juan and his gift, they will see a cruelty in this world unlike any other. Yet on the other hand they will see courage and an unyielding love within the family of this young man. The art in this book is great too. The expressions on the faces of the characters, and the symbols of death and sadness were explicitly shown by the illustrator. Anyone that enjoys literature about other cultures must read this book. Anyone that feels like they were dealt a tough lot in life should read this book. If you need help persevering trials in life, look to Juan as an example of faith and hope and read this book.

Transcending Harsh Realities
At the same time that many African-Americans were suffering in slavery in the United States, countless Cubans were enduring a similar fate in their own country.Juan Francisco Manzano was born into a family of Cuban slaves in 1797.He served two mistresses (the second of whom was self-centered, cruel, and vindictive) until he escaped as a teenager.Even as a young boy, Juan possessed an amazing gift for remembering and reciting poetry, which propelled him into the performing spotlight under his first mistress Doña Beatriz.When his first mistress died and he became subject to the mentally unstable La Marquesa de Prado Ameno, his incredible talent for verse as well as his passion for life, learning, and self-expression became both a curse and an escape for Juan.He clung to the poems he had internalized as well as his own creations as he endured confinement and torturous abuse as a slave.

Margarita Engle, winner of the Pura Belpré Award and the Junior Library Guild Selection Editor's Choice for The Poet Slave of Cuba, recounts the heartrending biography of Juan's childhood and teenage years as a slave.Respectfully echoing Juan Manzano's poetic voice by writing in verse herself, Engle chronicles Juan's story through multiple voices.Even with the conciseness that poetry demands, Margarita Engle captures the individual personalities of the various characters of this story--Juan, Maria del Pilar (Juan's mother), Toribio (Juan's father), Doña Beatriz (his first mistress), La Marquesa de Prado Ameno (his second mistress), Don Nicolas (La Marquesa's son), and the Overseer.Engle illuminates Juan's passion for knowledge, his quiet patience, as well as his ferocious tenacity.She underscores the icy, cruel selfishness of La Marquesa De Prado Ameno.Maria del Pilar's steadfast compassion spills out of the voice Engle pens for her.Even the Overseer's internal torment over being the instrument of torture for La Marquesa seeps through his limited lines.

As a Cuban-American author with a background in botany and agronomy, Margarita Engle not only tells an inspirational story of suffering and survival, but she also grafts in glimpses of the island setting, the agriculture backdrop, and the cultural hierarchy of nineteenth century Cuba.Sean Qualls' intermittent illustrations in shades of black, grey, and white create an effective spotlight for scenes in Engle's verse.

Although Engle describes Juan's cruel punishment, this book would be completely suitable for middle- or high school age students.In fact, Engle's book contains very little blood, gore, or overly-explicit material.It is the brutality, mercilessness, and inhumanity of the slaves' punishments that disturb the readers' unaccustomed minds.Engle's book does not gloss over the inhumane treatment of Cuban slaves in the 19th century, yet it provides a story of hope and transcending harsh realities.

Fabulous read
You learn about the life of this child and experience his triumph over adversity.The book makes you want to read the child's original words even though they are in Spanish.

HI MR. COSBY
How would you feel if your former master, who had loved you and cared for you like you were her own child, had said that once she died, you and your family would be free. Happy, right? Well what if no one paid any attention and you were sold to another master who punishes you for crimes you didn't commit?
That is the dilemma Juan Fransisco Manzano faces when his former owner, who took him to parties and had him wow her guest with his uncanny ability to recite poems and verses from the bible. At his baptism, Dona Beatriz, his former owner, declares that once she dies, he and his family will be free, for the price of 300 pesos, and any new-born babies will be born free. But once Dona Beatriz dies, Juan's family discovers they don't have enough money to buy Juan's freedom. So he is sold to La Marquesa De Prado Amendo, whose son, Don Nicolas, takes a liking to Juan, and befriends him. But La Marquesa frequently and brutally punishes Juan for sneaking peaks at her books. But she is grateful enough to let Juan watch her sons take art classes, and Don Nicholas gives Juan some parchment and a stub of crayon to draw with. Eventually, Don Nicholas helps give Juan the courage to run away, and Juan flees in search of his mother.
In really enjoyed this book for three reasons: the poetry, the character development, and the Spanish vocabulary sprinkled into the text.
The first reason I liked this book was in was written in free verse poetry form. This made the book very quick and easy to read, which made me like it more. It was also very unique, and was very well done.
The second reason I liked this book was the character development, mainly Juan. He grows up a lot in the book, from age eleven to age sixteen. But he also develops, by not abiding to La Marquesa's rules or caring about the consequences. He also learns that he doesn't need to keep sneakily buying pen and paper using the money he receives at parties. He can just store all the knowledge in his head.
And finally, I enjoyed the Spanish vocabulary sprinkled in. I take Spanish class on B days and found that the Spanish words were very useful. I also like how the author used in text definitions to explain to you what the word was.
In conclusion, I thought this was a fabulous book and would recommend it to someone looking for either a book written in poetry of a book with Spanish sprinkled into the text.

C. Davidson

Soy Cuba
The verse novel is a tricky fickle thing.Though no one to the best of my knowledge has ever put down the rules that govern the creation of a verse novel, there are always a couple unwritten understandings.No verse novel should tell its tale through poetry when it would make more sense to tell it through prose.Also, just breaking up a bunch of sentences into lines doesn't mean you're writing poetry or anything.The ideal verse novel is one where it makes sense to write a story through poetry AND just happens to have an ear for beautiful language.Such is the case with Margaraita's, "The Poet Slave of Cuba".In the book it says that, "The life of Juan Francisco Manzano haunted her for years before she finally realized that to do justice to the Poet Slave's story, she needed to write it in verse".The result is an achingly beautiful and horrific story that deserves to be read by teens everywhere.

Born a slave in Cuba in 1797, Juan Francisco Manzano grew up the toast of his owner Dona Beatriz.His ability to memorize speeches, plays, and words of all sorts made him a kind of sought over pet to the Spanish aristocracy.Though she promised to grant him his freedom when she died and she allowed both his parents to buy their freedom, Juan Francisco remained a slave after Dona Beatriz's death and was handed over to the dangerously psychotic Marquesa de Prado Ameno.The Marquesa resents Juan from the moment he is put into her possession and every attempt he makes at reading or writing is put down with shocking violence.A biography told in poems, this book shows the worst of slavery's cruelties and the sheer will it takes to not only survive under such conditions but escape.

The text in the book alternates between different points of view on almost every page.In a sense, the villains have just as much of a say as the heroes.Juan, for his part, sometimes will have three pages in a row of thoughts, each with its own separate poem. Alongside this format are illustrations by Sean Qualls.Qualls has a style that usually doesn't do much for me.In this case, however, he's the perfect complement to Engle's tale.The white aristocracy with their blank eyes and sharp pointed teeth are positively horrific.These images magnify the storyline.Here, for example, are two ladders that lead suggestively against a wall.Now a shiny coin.Now a butterfly.They are rough unfinished drawings that show far better Juan's situation than any polished colored print could ever convey.

At first I was a little perturbed that for all the book's poetry and loveliness, I couldn't find any actual poetry by the real Juan Francisco Manzano.Then I reached the end of the title and in the back found that author Margarita Engle not only offers us a biography of the true Juan Francisco, but reprints his bibliographic details as well.

Now, there is a debate surrounding this book.It is not a debate that questions whether the story is told well or whether or not Engle gets her point across to the reader.It's more a question of audience.Though published by Henry Holt, Inc's young reader division, and not a specific teen imprint, there is little doubt in my mind that this is not exactly kiddie fare.It's repeatedly violent, often to extremes.There is more bloodshed, torture, screams, and pain in this book than you'll find in most children's literature.To put it plainly, this is the "Beloved", of kiddie lit.Which, when you think about it, doesn't make it very kid-friendly at all.Teens, on the other hand, will find much to appreciate here.Juan Francisco spends much of this book as a teen, after all.His thoughts and actions are not those of a young boy, but rather a man trapped in an untenable situation. As such, I'd steer this book clear of the shorter set and aim towards kids with some maturity.

You read about the main character's pain, and to some extent a kind of apathy has to take place or the story's too difficult to bear.As a reader, you actually find yourself wondering how a person could live under such grueling conditions without a hope of a reprieve and still want to live.And there is a moment in the book when someone says that good always triumphs over evil.That it is amazing that the devil even tries.Words like these and phrases of this sort have been turning about in my brain ever since I put, "The Poet Slave of Cuba" down.Engle's text has a kind of staying power that wordsmiths everywhere should envy.Envy and admire.

I guess I should point out that while, "The Poet Slave of Cuba" is well-written, smart, and beautiful, it is not a pleasant book to read.Teens who pick up this book should be informed right off the bat as to what the book consists of.Just the same, it's definitely one of the more honest treatises on slavery I've ever had the chance to read.Engle does a magnificent job with her subject.She does the man's memory proud. ... Read more

Product Description
The Edgar-nominated author of Gun Monkeys is back with a thrill-a-minute suspense novel that mixes crime and academia—with hilarious results. Here Victor Gischler draws us into a wild and wicked world, where tenured professors are busy burying bodies, cash-up-front P.I.’s hunt for missing coeds and one desperate street-tough has to decide which he’d rather be: a live poet or a dead criminal.An unlucky grad student just got himself killed in a robbery gone bad. And as lowly drug lieutenant Harold Jenks races with the killer out of the alley, a light goes off in his head: He’ll steal the dead kid’s identity. Now Jenks, who once lorded it over seven square blocks in East St. Louis, is headed due west. With a .32 in his pocket, a 9mm Glock taped across his back, and a rap sheet nearly as long as Finnegans Wake, he’s cruising the halls of academia as Eastern Oklahoma U’s newest grad student, looking for action and hoping he can stay one couplet ahead of his violent past. While this new bad boy on campus makes mincemeat of his metaphors, across campus visiting professor Jay Morgan has a more pressing problem: What to do about the dead coed in his bed. The professor’s no killer, but try telling that to private eye Deke Stubbs. With the professor on the lam and Stubbs hot on his trail, more trouble blows into town. Now, as St. Louis drug boss Red Zach and his minions converge on Fumbee, Oklahoma, looking for a consignment of missing cocaine, the bullets start flying faster than the zingers at a faculty hate fest. For Morgan and Jenks, now desperate fugitives from poetic justice, survival means learning new skills—and learning fast. Because if they find out they’re bottom-of-the-class, that means they’re already dead. Featuring the sleaziest, sorriest, and most captivating group of criminal lowlifes, sexed-up academics, poets, and rappers ever to collide in one crime novel, The Pistol Poets speeds deliriously to its electrifying payoff. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A disappointing read
I enjoy a madcap noir novel as much as anybody, and the premise of this one sounded fun.
Right out of the gate, it hit a pet peeve of mine (fact-checking isn't that hard), though.You'd think Ellis would know better than to promise not to come back to Missouri when his life is actually being threatened in Illinois.It was a small thing, but the sort of first-impression small thing that makes other small things you might never have noticed stand out.And there were other small things that bugged - slang that didn't fit the speaker, unnecessarily confusing wording here and there - nothing big, but there just the same.
I don't think I would've had trouble getting past those things, though, if Gischler had spent a little more time developing his characters and a little less time trying to storyboard a Tarantino movie.

Nearly every character was either a blank stereotype (that would include every character of color in the novel, including Jenks.Perhaps Gischler should look into that), or a vague sketch with an odd quirk standing in for a personality (cross-dressing Dean, eccentric academic Valentine, weird, childish Reams, amoral chubbette Ginny...), or just a self-absorbed unredeemed jerk (Morgan, principally).
I have to admit that Jones and DelPrego seemed almost human - DelPrego even being possibly the only character allowed an emotion beyond anger fear or horniness - but that only served to make it all the more frustrating how lazily drawn the other characters were.I felt like I could see the novel it could have been with some more ruthless editing.I could have done without the Stubbs plot entirely if we could have gotten a little bit of Jenks trying to be Ellis and fit into the academic world (the scene of rap posturing fiting too completely under the heading of Jenks as stereotype), or of Morgan doing something other than drinking and feeling sorry for himself.We're told at the veeeeery end that he did finally write another poem, and maybe actually developed something like feelings for a couple of people other than himself.Seems like maybe he could have shown us that, instead of telling, you know?Especially if that's all the growth you're main character's going to get in the course of a novel.

Not nearly as good as Gun Monkeys
I bought Mr. Gischler's debut effort, Gun Monkeys, on Amazon last month and enjoyed it so much I immediately went back and purchased his next two books, the first of which is Pistol Poets. I was extremely disappointed.

Yes, Mr. Gischler writes simple, choppy, hard-edged prose that is appealing and he is also pretty funny too, reminiscent of Elmore Leonard and Kinky Friedman, and Pistol Poets features both qualities but.........none of the characters were in the least sympathetic. Every last character was self-absorbed, amoral and made me slightly naseous. I could not identify with any of the novel's characters, much less like them, with the possible exception of one very minor character, but of course Gischler kills him, while the disgusting main characters walk scot-free. For me this turned what could have been another fun and funny read into a dismal experience.

My advice: if you don't need sympathetic protagonists then get this book because you will probably enjoy it. If you are like me and want someone you can identify with, or even like, you'll do better staying away from this book. The whole experience reminded me of having to read Kate Chopan's "The Awakening" in college, another depressing treatment of neurotics without any socially redeeming qualiites. Ugh.

Entertaining and Funny.
This book does call for considerable suspension of belief, but
fiction tends to call on us for that suspension; in this story,
the reader has to be ready to suspend a large amount of belief
and logic, but that said, this is a very entertaining and funny
book.
One point of the story is that we tend to expect the life of a
small-college professor, especially just a visiting prof., to
be rather one-dimensional and even dull.But this particular
prof. suddenly finds himself immersed in those famous trilogy
of high-living qualities, guns, drugs and sex.
He bounces from one problem to another, and along the way, his
friends and students get more and more involved, to the point
where they end up getting shot, beat up, robbed and generallly
knocked around, and the prof. himself seems only interested in
getting a little "action" with some women and in gaining some
employment.
It is difficult to describe crimes and violence and make it
seem funny, knowing as we do the horrible reality of it from
our reading and daily lives, but this author manages to do just
that.When you read some of these violent encounters, and meet
the vicious characters involved, it is hard to laugh, but laugh
we will.
With the multiple plots and characters moving along, the pace
is very good and fast, and the results are sometimes surprising.
Life in a small college town may not be like this, but this writer does make it all sound intriguing.
There are gangsters, drug dealers, college girls on the make,
professors who seem to have little interest in teaching, mysterious mobsters who are hiding out while writing poetry,
and more characters than we can almost keep track of, and they
are all interesting, and we can't help but want to keep reading
about them.
The author does a very nice job of maintaining a very high level
of interest, and most readers will keep wanting more.

Damn good
Gischler is a pro at making violence funny, without losing suspense or tension.

His second effort is assured, exciting, and features some of the most memorable characters in recent crime fiction.

If you like Elmore Leonard, Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen, James Crumley, Joe Lansdale, or Donald Westlake, then you must read Victor Gischler.

It's good.......but.....it's not Gun Monkeys
Maybe I was unfair with my high expectations for this book. If I had never read Gun Monkeys, I would have been pleasantly amused by the Pistol Poets, and might have looked for more from Victor Gischler, (but, frankly, not with a real effort). So, maybe I set myself up for failure because Gun Monkeys was so good. (It really is a great book!) So, I expected a book of at least the humor and "pathos" of GM. What I got was something that seemed more a "kooky kopy" of Dave Barry/Kinky Friedman/Carl Hiaasen, etc. Good writers, but they do the wacky mystery novel better than this - much better. I was disappointed.

Most characters are one dimensional, and fairly uninteresting, (with the exception of "Jones", the amatuer poet/mob boss). They have implausable and unbelievable things happen to them, not as a consequence of a believable chain of events, but just to keep the "kookiness" at a high level. About halfway through the novel I lost interest, and put it aside for about two weeks, which I almost never do with a book. Even Professor Jay Morgan, the protagonist, lost my sympathy towards the end. The book had great potential, and I suspect was the victim of editing rewrites - at least I hope that that was the case. I look forward to the next Gischler novel, but if it is no better than the Pistol Poets, it'll be my last. Well, at least in hardback :) ... Read more

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A wide array of fabulous raw poetry
A "Geo. of Poets" was a stimulating experience to read, andflipping through and reading randomly I devoured the entire book, findingobscure but worthwhile poetry. ... Read more

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"Lasky shows not only the facts of Wheatley's life but also the pain of being an accomplished black woman in a segregated world." — BOOKLIST

"We’ll call her Phillis."

In 1761, a young African girl was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston, who named her Phillis after the slave schooner that had carried her. Kidnapped from her home in Africa and shipped to America, she’d had everything taken from her - her family, her name, and her language.

But Phillis Wheatley was no ordinary young girl. She had a passion to learn, and the Wheatleys encouraged her, breaking with unwritten rule in New England to keep slaves illiterate. Amid the tumult of the Revolutionary War, Phillis Wheatley became a poet and ultimately had a book of verse published, establishing herself as the first African American woman poet this country had ever known. She also found what had been taken away from her and from slaves everywhere: a voice of her own. ... Read more

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Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
Born in Africa and sold into slavery at the age of seven, Phillis Wheatley worked as a servant for a family in Boston who believed, unlike most white people at the time, that slaves were fully capable of learning to read, write, and master the arts.Within just a few years Phillis was fully literate in English and had moved on to math, geography, and the classics.Her greatest love and talent lay in poetry, and as an adolescent Phillis was already reciting verses in society circles and publishing her own work. In the face of extreme discrimination, Phillis grew up to become the first African American published poet and the first African American woman to publish her writing.

Rich illustrations and clear text bring Phillis Wheatley's story to life and help to make her biographical account accessible to younger readers.The narrative also touches on some of the economic aspects of slavery and reasons why whites were unwilling to empower slaves with educations, making the book a valuable resource for educating children about the history of slavery and the importance of social justice. ... Read more

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Gooch presents a fascinating account of Frank O'Hara's life (1926-1966) and evokes the spirit and excitement of New York's literary and artistic underground in the '50s and '60s. "An intelligent, balanced, readable account of a writer's life and millieu."--Los Angeles Times. Photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not as bad as some would make out
This happens to be one of those heavy biographies that for better or worse include everything the author ever found out about his subject, much of which isn't worth recording. Biographers should learn that just because something's a fact doesn't make it interesting.Having said that, this book isn't without its virtues.I found the passages dealing with his interaction with artists and co-workers informative.It was very interesting to discover that O'Hara's college roommate was Edward Gorey - what an odd couple.Also, the details of O'Hara serving as Cecil Beaton's secretary were enjoyable.I did learn some things about O'Hara's sexual adventures that made me cringe (having lived through the plague years my view is compromised).Mr. Gooch has written a book full of facts and trivia - it's certainly a worthwhile chronicle of O'Hara's life.If you're looking for a more intimate portrait I recommend "Digression On Some Poems By Frank O'Hara," for a more academic look at his work look for "Poet Among Painters."

An Incredible Bore
It's not surprising that Brad Gooch, a professional homosexual, writes a book that makes Frank O'Hara appear to be nothing more than another professional homosexual. Actually, Gooch may be right. O'Hara is an incredibly minor figure in American poetry, and this books devotes too much print to a third-rate writer who would probably best be forgotten.

Brings you into the life of O'Hara
City Poet goes past the Frank O'Hara that readers get to know so well through his poetry. If you have read and enjoyed O'Hara's work, this book gives you the biographical background to bring your appreciation fullcircle. It is no quick read, but it allows you to appreciate the man behindthe words through meticulous interviews with everyone who knew him.

Boring -- too much about sex
This book focused way too much on O'Hara's sex life and not enough on his work.The prose style is tedious, and I found myself skimming it through all the excruciating details about the poet's various lovers.The readersnoozes, O'Hara loses. ... Read more

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' We are twin souls, you and I.'
Ann More, fourth daughter of George More, and her sisters are brought up by their grandparents in 16th century England (near Guildford in Surrey) after their mother dies.Their father and his second wife, together with their brother live nearby.

Ann, who is fourteen when this story opens, hopes for a better fate than her sisters: married off by her father in the interests of family alliances.Ann has been educated by her grandfather, and this education has made her restless for more than the traditional role of women.After her sister Bett's wedding, Ann learns that her father is planning a marriage for her but in the meantime she is to live in London where, hopefully, she will be a lady at the court of the ageing Queen Elizabeth I.

In London, Ann lives at the home of her uncle Sir Thomas Egerton, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.Here she encounters John Donne, her uncle's secretary.Thus begins the love story which is the subject of this novel.And what a twisted, star-crossed tale it is!

John Donne, darkly attractive young poet of a Catholic background is in no way considered a suitable match by Ann's father George More. My interest in this novel derives from an interest in the life and achievements of John Donne. While some aspects of the characterisations of Ann and John did not work perfectly for me, the novel adds a dimension to John Donne's life as well as giving a sense of who Ann might have been.

Yes, it is a romance.But a romance that involves one of our greatest metaphysical poets (and quotes some of his poetry) is definitely worth considering.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

John Donne, Ann Donne, Undone
Who was the woman who inspired late Elizabethan poet John Donne to write his greatest love poetry?

The woman for whose love he sacrificed his career and retreated to the country?

The woman whose death he mourned his entire life?


Maeve Haran's 'The Lady and the Poet' is a fictionalized account of the romance between poet John Donne and Ann More, niece of Donne's benefactor, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

Few facts are known about the historical Ann, but Haran's creation is a bright, lively young woman well worthy of the poet's love.
The fictive Ann is learned and wise at fourteen and sure enough of her love for John at seventeen to renounce family and fortune to remain at his side.

Haran's lovers are nice people; their physical attraction is real, and their love story is both carefully wrought and believable.

At the time the couple met, Donne was acting as secretary to Ann's uncle by marriage, the Lord Keeper of the Seal.His risque poetry was the talk of the Inns of Court and his Catholic background made many suspicious of him.He was clever, witty, and carried within him a yet untapped depth.Ann was 'up from the country' where she had been reared and well educated by doting grandparents.A bright, shining young girl on the cusp of womanhood, she and the 'forbidden' Donne were instantly aware of each other.

Haran's novel is carefully written and a delight to read.Her characters come alive.The plotting is well done and her command of historical fact is never a burden to the reader.

Five stars."The Lady and the Poet" should appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction and those who appreciate a well turned phrase.

John Donne, undone by love
If you don't like romance stories, stop reading this review now: this book simply isn't for you. On the other hand, it's a kind of classic romance: the true story of what was, at the time, a scandalous relationship between young Ann More and troublesome and reckless John Donne, her uncle's secretary. This isn't Philippa Gregory material, where crowns are at stake, but rather the story of a young woman who is willing to throw off the conventions of her time and marry for love.

It would be very hard to match the caliber of Donne's own prose or poetry, and Haran makes a mistake in trying, with some over-stretched metaphors and similes and occasional relapses into purple prose. But she conjures up an image of what kind of young woman Ann More must have been to be so willing to rebel against her family, friends and everyone around her and run off with a man with a bad reputation who even she, as Haran presents her, doesn't always trust. Yes, that leads Haran to ascribe to other kinds of unconventional behavior, but I didn't find that as unconvincing as other reviewers: for her to be willing to kick over the traces when everyone around her was encouraging her to repudiate Donne, she must have had an unusually wide streak of independence and determination in her personality; Haran has drawn on that in building up a picture of who Ann might have been, given her time and her circumstances. (I enjoyed the picture of what an Elizabethan household of the time might have been like, for instance.)

It's enjoyable to read about someone in Tudor England who wasn't a queen, princess or lady in waiting, and this is at heart a solid if undemanding work of historical fiction that doesn't aspire to be anything more than a fictional retelling of a great romance of English literature. Recommended to fans of those kinds of novels; rated 3.5 stars and rounded up.

True love conquers all.....
Or does it? Ann More comes to London to stay with her aunt and hopefully gain a position in the household of the aging Queen Elizabeth, although Ann's forthright nature is a bit of a hindrance and a slightly disgraced Ann is relegated to assisting in her aunt's household. Ann soon catches the eye of her uncle's secretary and erstwhile poet, John Donne, but she'll have none of him - at first. When the two eventually recognize the love they share they have an uphill battle as Ann must marry when and where her father commands and John is entirely unsuitable for the well-to-do More family.Can true love survive and the lovers surmount the odds against them?

Outside of that I really don't want to go much further. If you know Donne's history you know what happens and if you don't I don't want to spoil it for you. While not the fastest paced book ever written, I found this to be an enjoyable read despite Ann seeming a bit too forthright and modern for the period. Why, oh why are our historic heroines always able to travel anywhere alone unattended, speak out as they please with no consequences, have a great education from an overly doting male relative as well as being able to leap tall buildings with a single bound? Well maybe not the last but you get the picture. A good light read.

Pleasant Enough, Though Not Particularly Moving
This was a very pleasant story and I enjoyed it despite its complete lack of excitement.It is just a love story.The lady is Lady Ann More, daughter to one ambitious George More who desires to marry her off to the man with the greatest title to his name.The poet is Master John Donne who holds no favor in her father's eyes.The two fall in love quite by accident.In the court of Elizabeth I, (Do not be fooled.. The Queen only has one brief appearance.This is not about Elizabeth.) the lady and the poet meet.Their meeting is not favorable for either one at first, but over time they come to grow a friendship that eventually leads to something more and forbidden.

Thru Ann, readers get an in depth look at life of young lady during Elizabeth's reign.There is sickness, death in childbirth, fear over expressing religion different from the queen's, scandalous affairs, gambling debts, blackmail, and arranged marriages.The latter is one that Ann is trying wholeheartedly to avoid.Her father is most intent of marrying her off to a rather insolent Master Manners.(That really is his name!)As everyone around her is preaching that a woman's place is in the home and that she must be a dutiful daughter and marry the man of her father's bidding, a rebellious streak arrises in Ann.She will stop at nothing to be with the man she loves, the scandalous John Donne.However, deep inside, she is worrying over his supposed affair with a countess.A battle with the chicken pox leaves her feeling fearless tho and she aims to take action into her own hands and that is all I am going to reveal.

Very plesant story, but tho it made me smile, it never made me laugh outright.And whereas it would make me go "Oh, dear..." it never made me want to cry in sympathy.The romance was sweet, but not heart thumping.Basically, it didn't move me.The prose was lovely, but at times there was too much of it.Four stars. ... Read more

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New generations bring new ideas
New generations bring new ideas. "The Swallow Anthology of New American Poets" is a collection of poetry from American poets, offering a wide array of discussions on many subjects and ideas, of what is important to the next generation of American poets. A fine sampler of the future, "The Swallow Anthology of New American Poets" is a fine choice for the literary patriot. "Internal Revenue" by J. Allyn Rosser: I have distracted rodents from their cheese, lured seasoned sirens with my melodies,/And brought some handsome statues to their knees./I could not beguile you.//Having faced your shoulder, back and heel,/Borne the treadmarks of your fortune's wheel,/Felt your indifference to what I feel,/My heart would not revile you.//I've shelved all my abiding passion, stashed/My childish cares and organized my past:/Real property, junk bonds, trusts amassed./--I don't know where to file you. ... Read more

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The Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers has emerged as one of the most well-respected writing programs in the country, producing a generation of first-rate poets who are also deeply dedicated teachers of their art. Poets Teaching Poets collects essays by current and former lecturers at Warren Wilson, including acclaimed poets Joan Aleshire, Marianne Boruch, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dobyns, Reginald Gibbons, Louise Glück, Allen Grossman, Robert Haas, Tony Hoagland, Heather McHugh, Gregory Orr, Michael Ryan, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Alan Williamson, Eleanor Wilner, and Renate Wood.
This passionate and provocative anthology presents an extended, insightful dialogue on an astonishing range of topics: writers from Homer, Dickinson, and Akhmatova to Bishop, O'Hara, Milosz, and Plath; meditations on the nature of the image and the discovery of the self in Greek verse; a passionate defense of lyric poetry; and other engaging themes. Whatever their subject, these essays are, at the core, passionate and thoughtful meditations on the place of poetry in contemporary culture.
Poets Teaching Poets will be an invaluable tool for teachers and students of poetry and poetics at every level. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the connections between craft and the larger issues of art, and in the continuing and exciting relevance of poetry today.
Gregory Orr is author of six books of poetry, most recently City of Salt, and of two books of criticism, Richer Entanglements: Essays and Notes on Poetry and Poems and Stanley Kunitz: An Introduction to the Poetry. He is Professor of English, University of Virginia.
Ellen Bryant Voigt is founder and former director of the low-residency MFA Writing Program at Goddard College and teaches in its relocated incarnation at Warren Wilson College. She has published four volumes of poetry and has received numerous awards, including two Pushcart Prizes and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
... Read more