Girls and Handsome Dogs
Girls and Handsome Dogs is a return of sorts for Norm Sibum. He has never been widely read in Canada, and his two previous collections were published in England. A terse citation in Michael Schmidt's influential Lives of the Poets can be credited with starting a Sibum renaissance, for only two Canadian poets are so much as mentioned in that vast tome. Schmidt bruised a lot of egos with his cursory treatment of Canadian verse, but he also piqued the curiosity of more than a few readers. Sibum's neglect within Canada is a travesty, but an understandable one, for he writes verse that is urbane, stately, aristocratic, and decidedly unfashionable. Much of his work recalls early Eliot in its tone, its flexible yet regular sense of form, and its half-modern vision of the world. His previous collection, The November Propertius, is aptly titled, for there is something of the aging yet playful Roman about much of Sibum's verse. The ruminative cycle "Aginthorpe on the Divan" dominates the book and encompasses many of its finest moments, gently dissecting an aging bohemian artist-priest, a man with the nobility and decrepitude of a ruin: For starters, Frank had killed a man, maybe two, maybe three--
Sooner or later, he'd do it again.
Tammy diSica wanted a house in the 'burbs
And it was she that Frank was poking.
Now Oriole debated old Peter and argued him down
On the virtues of some archaic socialism--
And the wrinkled and sullen Pan
Whom she addressed, like Khrushchev banging his shoe,
Pounded the table with a mug of beer.
Squinty-eyed Peter, loose in the jowls,
Some far descendent of Gengis Khan,
Spat and said,
'Pah! Poetry is useless
but I tolerate it in women. ' Girls and Handsome Dogs has its flaws, but they are overwhelmed by its grace, intensity, and integrity. It is unlikely that readers will flock to Sibum, but they should. --Jack Illingworth Author(s): Norm Sibum. Binding Paperback. Publisher(s): Porcupine's Quill. Label: Porcupine's Quill.
Sooner or later, he'd do it again.
Tammy diSica wanted a house in the 'burbs
And it was she that Frank was poking.
Now Oriole debated old Peter and argued him down
On the virtues of some archaic socialism--
And the wrinkled and sullen Pan
Whom she addressed, like Khrushchev banging his shoe,
Pounded the table with a mug of beer.
Squinty-eyed Peter, loose in the jowls,
Some far descendent of Gengis Khan,
Spat and said,
'Pah! Poetry is useless
but I tolerate it in women. ' Girls and Handsome Dogs has its flaws, but they are overwhelmed by its grace, intensity, and integrity. It is unlikely that readers will flock to Sibum, but they should. --Jack Illingworth Author(s): Norm Sibum. Binding Paperback. Publisher(s): Porcupine's Quill. Label: Porcupine's Quill.
| Fabricant: | Porcupine's Quill |
| Numéro de la pièce: | |
| Prix le plus bas (CAD): | 10,91 $ |
Caractéristiques du produit |
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| Auteur : | Norm Sibum |
| Format : | Paperback |
| Marque : | Porcupine's Quill |
| Title : | Title F-I |
