George Bowering: Selected Poems 1961-92
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- Synopsis
- George Bowering's poetic output has slowed since the early 1980s, when he began to devote his prolific and versatile imagination almost exclusively to prose fiction. Nevertheless, the 31 years encompassed by George Bowering Selected saw the publication of 28 volumes of verse--a substantial output by anyone's standards. Gleaning a single coherent selection from this immense oeuvre would seem to be an impossible task, but George Bowering Selected comes very close to providing an ideal survey. Bowering's poetics is one of speed and constant postmodern play--with words, with ideas, and with perceptions. His poetry's emphasis on the rapidity of thought and of the process of reading means that his books are not easily trimmed into anthology pieces. Instead of spending months with a few choice lyrics, the reader who wishes to come to terms with Bowering must methodically work through the poems at length, and George Bowering Selected is structured to facilitate this style of reading. There are plenty of short, Creeley-like lyrics here, representing the early and late periods of Bowering's career, but the core of the book is the three long serial poems that are presented in full: At War with the U.S., Allophanes, and his masterpiece, The Kerrisdale Elegies. The last may be his most "poetic" poem, but its motion and concerns are quintessential Bowering. George Bowering Selected is quite simply the best available introduction to the work of this difficult and inventive poet. Don't dabble; read it from cover to cover. --Jack Illingworth
- Copyright:
- 1993
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- ISBN-13:
- 9781551995939
- Related ISBNs:
- 9780771015946
- Publisher:
- McClelland & Stewart
- Date of Addition:
- 05/13/21
- Copyrighted By:
- George Bowering
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Poetry, Literature and Fiction
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.