After Greece: Poems (New Odyssey Series) - Softcover

Bakken, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1931112010 ISBN 13: 9781931112017

Publisher: Truman State Univ Pr, 2001

Synopsis

This collection is winner of the 2001 T S Eliot prize. An account of travel and a collection of ecstatic lyrics, these poems excavate an idea of place, one layered deep for the poet and archaeologist to discover. We encounter the obsessions of a hellenic barbarian - of an American poet residing in, not touring, an environment haunted by profane revelations and sacred commonplaces. We move beyond the crowded sites and restored monuments, to places where the presence of the ancient world is still palpable in the violent realities of the modern Balkans. Looking through these poems into artefacts and ruined places, we hear 'spirits of that barren landscape call out still', and we feel, again and again, what connects us to the past is stronger than what separates us from it.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Bakken is assistant professor of English at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa. He received his Ph.D. in English literature and creative writing from the University of Houston.

Review:

"The language is lucent, calm, introspective, and emphatic, never self-centered..." -- Lynne McMahon

...Bakken makes the difficult look easy...his lines breathe...they have a stunning luminosity to them that invites rereading. --The Texas Review, Fall/Winter 2001

About this edition

• Publisher: Truman State Univ Pr
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1931112010
• ISBN 13: 9781931112017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 62