The Beforelife: Poems.
by WRIGHT, Franz
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Berkeley, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
NY: Knopf,, 2001.. Uncorrected proof.. 77 pp. Bump to one lower corner, else near fine in printed tan wrappers.
Synopsis
In this stunning collection, Franz Wright chronicles the journey back from a place of isolation and wordlessness. After a period when it seemed certain he would never write poetry again, he speaks with bracing clarity about the twilit world that lies between madness and sanity, addiction and recovery. Wright negotiates the precarious transition from illness to health in a state of skeptical rapture, discovering along the way the exhilaration of love--both divine and human--and finding that even the most battered consciousness can be good company. Whether he is writing about his regret for the abortion of a child, describing the mechanics of slander ("I can just hear them on the telephone and keening all their kissy little knives"), or composing an ironic ode to himself ("To a Blossoming Nut Case"), Wright's poems are exquisitely precise. Charles Simic has characterized him as a poetic miniaturist, whose "secret ambition is to write an epic on the inside of a matchbook cover." Time and again, Wright turns on a dime in a few brief lines, exposing the dark comedy and poignancy of his heightened perception. Here is one of the poems from the collection:Description of Her EyesTwo teaspoonfuls,and my mind goeseveryone can kiss my ass now--then it's changed,I change my mind.Eyes so sad, and infinitely kind.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Seller
- Jeff Maser, Bookseller-ABAA
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 39975
- Title
- The Beforelife: Poems.
- Author
- WRIGHT, Franz
- Book Condition
- Used
- Edition
- Uncorrected proof.
- Publisher
- NY: Knopf,
- Date Published
- 2001.
Terms of Sale
Jeff Maser, Bookseller-ABAA
Any book returnable for any reason within 10 days with prior notice. CA residents please add 9.5% sales tax. Libraries can be billed as needed.
About the Seller
Jeff Maser, Bookseller-ABAA
Biblio member since 2006
Berkeley, California
About Jeff Maser, Bookseller-ABAA
Fine and rare books with an emphasis on 20th C. poetry, small press, literary magazines, broadsides, and interesting books in most fields.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Uncorrected Proof
- An uncorrected proof is a printed copy of a book that needs to be reviewed for errors and corrections. They are released prior...
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