Archipelago, Poems. - Softcover

Sze, Arthur

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1556591004 ISBN 13: 9781556591006

Publisher: Copper Canyon Press, 1995

Synopsis

Poetry. "Arthur Sze composes an elegant, quietly intense, very human, beautiful poetry, one that is remarkable for its commitment to metaphor and musical language. I consider him one of the foremost poets of his generation. He is wise, intelligent, a joy to be with and read" -Quincy Troupe.

About this title

Review:

Arthur Sze has constructed a complicated tapestry of poems informed by his Chinese American heritage, his rich knowledge of American Indian culture, and classical Chinese poetry. Telling you about his background, influences, and ideas falls pretty far short of the mark, though. These poems succeed at the level of execution, in finding just the right words to suggest, say, a Zen sensibility, while using contemporary American English to describe the complicated interplay between the natural and constructed worlds. From "The Redshifting Web": "You may draw a cloud pattern in cement / setting in a patio, or wake to / sparkling ferns melting on a windowpane. / The struck, plucked, bowed, blown / sounds of the world come and go."

About the Author:

Arthur Sze is the author of nine books of poetry and translation. He is emeritus professor of Creative Writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts, former poet laureate of Santa Fe, and a corresponding editor for Manoa. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

About this edition

• Publisher: Copper Canyon Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1556591004
• ISBN 13: 9781556591006
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 85