Daisy Fried's third book of poetry is a book of unsettling, unsettled Americans. Fried finds her Americans everywhere, watching Henry Kissinger leave the Louvre, trapped on a Tiber bridge by a crowd of neo-fascist thugs, yearning outside a car detailing garage for a car lit underneath by neon lavender, riding the train with Princeton seniors who have been rejected by recession-bound Wall Street, feeding stray cats drunk at midnight, bitching at her mother in the labor room, shopping with wide-bodied hunters for deer-dismembering band saws in the world's largest supplier of seasonal camouflage, cursing her cell phone and husband at eighty-five miles an hour, hiding behind the mask of an advice column to proclaim Charles Bukowski "America's greatest poetess." There is nothing like this book, because there is nothing in it but America. No comfort, no consolation, no life-affirming pats on the back, no despair about God, no fear or acceptance of death, no irrational exuberance, no guilt or weariness, no misery even in the middle of personal and political crisis. Plenty of humor and plenty of seriousness. Joy. And a new kind of poetry: not nice, but rich and real.
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Front Matter Front Matter (pp. [i]-[v])https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.1 -
Table of Contents Table of Contents (pp. [vi]-[x])https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.2 -
I -
Torment Torment (pp. 3-10)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.3
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II -
Womenʹs Poetry Womenʹs Poetry (pp. 13-13)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.4 -
Midnight Feeding Midnight Feeding (pp. 14-14)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.5 -
Kissinger at the Louvre (Three Drafts) Kissinger at the Louvre (Three Drafts) (pp. 15-17)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.6 -
Thrash Thrash (pp. 18-18)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.7 -
Econo Motel, Ocean City Econo Motel, Ocean City (pp. 19-19)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.8 -
Ippopotamo Ippopotamo (pp. 20-20)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.9 -
A Snow Woman A Snow Woman (pp. 21-21)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.10 -
This Need Not Be a Comment on Death This Need Not Be a Comment on Death (pp. 22-23)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.11 -
Lyric Lyric (pp. 24-25)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.12 -
Stolen Vehicle Discovered at the Junkyard Stolen Vehicle Discovered at the Junkyard (pp. 26-26)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.13 -
Inside All This Inside All This (pp. 27-27)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.14 -
Il Penseroso: The Fat Lady Il Penseroso: The Fat Lady (pp. 28-30)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.15 -
Elegy Elegy (pp. 31-32)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.16 -
Liberalism Liberalism (pp. 33-33)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.17 -
Perpetual Youth Lost by Humankind Perpetual Youth Lost by Humankind (pp. 34-35)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.18 -
Metaphor for Something, or Solving the Credit Crunch Metaphor for Something, or Solving the Credit Crunch (pp. 36-36)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.19 -
His Failed Band, 1973 His Failed Band, 1973 (pp. 37-37)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.20 -
The Spirit Award The Spirit Award (pp. 38-39)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.21 -
Her Failed Band, 1982 Her Failed Band, 1982 (pp. 40-40)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.22 -
LʹAllegro: Driving Home LʹAllegro: Driving Home (pp. 41-42)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.23
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III -
Attenti Agli Zingari -
1. Odori, Ospitalità 1. Odori, Ospitalità (pp. 45-46)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.24 -
2. Padlocks, Suicidal 2. Padlocks, Suicidal (pp. 47-47)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.25 -
3. Sunday Morning, Night 3. Sunday Morning, Night (pp. 48-48)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.26 -
4. Histories: Umbrellas 4. Histories: Umbrellas (pp. 49-49)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.27 -
5. Shame and Go Home, 2004 5. Shame and Go Home, 2004 (pp. 50-51)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.28 -
6. Histories: 2000. July 6. Histories: 2000. July (pp. 52-52)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.29 -
7. Song, 2007. Camp X-Ray Cages 7. Song, 2007. Camp X-Ray Cages (pp. 53-53)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.30 -
8. Argento Titano. Now Dusk Purple 8. Argento Titano. Now Dusk Purple (pp. 54-55)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.31 -
9. Batti Batti le Manine 9. Batti Batti le Manine (pp. 56-57)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.32 -
10. Rome and Its Night 10. Rome and Its Night (pp. 58-60)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.33
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IV -
Ask The Poetess: An Advice Column Ask The Poetess: An Advice Column (pp. 63-72)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.34 DEAR POETESS—Who do you think was the greatest poetess of the twentieth century? Sara Teasdale? Or Adelaide Crapsey?—WONDERING
DEAR WONDERING—A usage note at dictionary.com states “many critics have argued that there are sexist connotations in the use of the suffix –essto indicate a female in words likesculptress, waitress, stewardess, andactress. The heart of the problem lies in the nonparallel use of terms to designate men and women.”
The Poetess has long felt that women’s equality should be founded in the notion that a woman isno worse thana man. So it stands to...
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NOTES NOTES (pp. 73-74)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.35 -
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (pp. 75-75)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5vkdsn.36