David Berman reinvents the overlooked and seemingly ordinary details of everyday life--from the suitcase of a departing girlfriend to a baseboard electrical outlet. His poems chart a course through his own highly original American dreamscape in language that is fresh, accessible, and remarkably precise. This debut collection has received extraordinary acclaim from readers and reviewers alike and is quickly becoming a cult classic. As Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Tate said, "These poems are beautiful, strange, intelligent, and funny. . . . It's a book for everyone."
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Editorial Reviews
From The New Yorker
"David Berman is a young Virginian poet with a sly, intense regard for the past. He comes on like a prankster, restocking the imperial orations of Wallace Stevens and the byzantine monologues of John Ashbery with the pop-cultural bric-a-brac of a new generation: 'I am not a cub scout seduced by Iron Maiden's mirror worlds.' But his words have and easy, eloquent gait; each line needs to be a line. The landscapes are crisply American, and history, especially Southern history, casts a shadow. A poem about the death of Lincoln ends, 'The assassin was in mid-air/when the stagehands wheeled out the clouds.'"
Review
"Actual Air is actual poetry. Berman is on a mission to make the world strange, to find in the doo-dads of daily life a profound weirdness . . . which makes for a rarity in contemporary poetry." -- Spin, June 1999
"Actual Air is one of the funniest, smartest, and sweetest books of the year, a collection of snapshots colored ecstatically outiside the lines. This is the absurd American sublime, poetry that raises the stakes on the everyday and bluffs the blunders." -- GQ, July 1999
"Berman's debut announces the discovery of a great American poetic storytelling voice by a new generation." -- Publisher's Weekly, June 28, 1999
"In Berman's universe, time slips lazily on by, life thoroughly strange and perpetually interesting . . .Berman is very much alive to life's nuances, even in what many might think of as bland surroundings." -- Time Out New York, May 27, 1999
"When was the last time you picked up a volume of poetry and found yourself hanging on every word, reading it all the way through in a single sitting and then going back to the beginning? This first collection from Berman is that kind of book. Full of casually sharp observations about the most mundane subjects. Air is funny, weird, and profound, whether it's tackling the nature of hallways or the architecture of back pain." -- Entertainment Weekly, July 30, 1999
Berman's is a funny, smart, on-again, off-again poetry of great promise. -- The New York Times Book Review, David Kirby
"Actual Air is one of the funniest, smartest, and sweetest books of the year, a collection of snapshots colored ecstatically outiside the lines. This is the absurd American sublime, poetry that raises the stakes on the everyday and bluffs the blunders." -- GQ, July 1999
"Berman's debut announces the discovery of a great American poetic storytelling voice by a new generation." -- Publisher's Weekly, June 28, 1999
"In Berman's universe, time slips lazily on by, life thoroughly strange and perpetually interesting . . .Berman is very much alive to life's nuances, even in what many might think of as bland surroundings." -- Time Out New York, May 27, 1999
"When was the last time you picked up a volume of poetry and found yourself hanging on every word, reading it all the way through in a single sitting and then going back to the beginning? This first collection from Berman is that kind of book. Full of casually sharp observations about the most mundane subjects. Air is funny, weird, and profound, whether it's tackling the nature of hallways or the architecture of back pain." -- Entertainment Weekly, July 30, 1999
Berman's is a funny, smart, on-again, off-again poetry of great promise. -- The New York Times Book Review, David Kirby
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By joshua Elrod
Format:Paperback
A copy of this book is bumping along the bottom of the Colorado River heading toward Lake Mead. But before it went overboard: One afternoon in camp, while someone was cooking dinner, I was reading the Lincoln poem out loud to another guy on the trip. By the time I read a third selection from the book (at my friend's request) five or six other people had gathered around and were listening. I don't think any of us read poetry for recreation, but this book resonates, we could all tell that; and it was written with the ambition of being human, and as Grand as the Canyon. It ticks me off that this review protocal forces me to assign a number of stars. You can't count stars.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this because I love the Silver Jews and Berman's words are probably the best part of their music. Like his lyrics, this is brilliant, thought-provoking, and clever... not pretensious at all in my opinion (see guy below). The best description that keeps popping into my head is "full of revelations".. maybe *that* is pretensious but that's what i think. My favorite "revelation" (or "pretensious" moment, if you think): "As a way of getting in touch with my origins / every night I set the alarm clock / for the time I was born, so that waking up / becomes a historical reenactment". Simply a very enjoyable, funny read all the way through. If you like the Joos, get this. If you like this, get some Silver Jews. If you don't know either...try one!
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Saint David the prolific is once again saving our souls. The book carries an honesty and clarity rare in modern poetry, or modern life for that matter. The works here harken back to a time earlier this evening, as you sat at the table, staring at your glass of milk and wondering why your older brother never calls you. It's a simple choice for you, read it now or spend hours agonizing about the time you wasted without these words in your heart. When your heart swells you will understand. May the Silver Jew ride off into the sunset, in a chevy nova listening to steppenwolf. Berman, I salute you.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
I buy this book all the time because I give it away to people over and over. I have never read more brilliant poetry. Read more
Published 21 days ago by pennyeach
5.0 out of 5 stars
river of berman
This is a fantastic book.
Some back story on the publication of Actual Air written by the publisher, with reflections on Berman, in this article:
[... Read more
Some back story on the publication of Actual Air written by the publisher, with reflections on Berman, in this article:
[... Read more
Published 5 months ago by hb
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for your shelf
This is just one of those books you happen upon and cherish forever. I first read this when it was first published. A friend of mine says, "You like Pavement, right? Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dr Mister Poop
1.0 out of 5 stars
Stay Away
Just downright awful. Amateurish, platitudinous, narcissistic blather. Just what Poetry Does NOT NEED! My advice is for Mr. Read more
Published on September 16, 2010 by Ian Powys
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding!
This collection of poetry by David Berman is amazing! With a similar attitude seen in the characters of J.D. Salinger, Berman proves his versatility with Actual Air. Great read. Read more
Published on September 20, 2009 by J. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars
Berman is amazing
I found Berman through the now-disbanded Silver Jews, sucked in by his lyrics, and his poetry is equally moving.
Buy this book. Read more
Buy this book. Read more
Published on May 11, 2009 by Andy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hey, musicians really can write!
(I figured I'd put this at the top so people would catch this -- Berman announced a nice while ago that he has another book of poetry/prose on the way currently titled "Richard... Read more
Published on April 9, 2007 by Bryan Freitas
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pop poetry - not that there's anything wrong with that.
I guess that I am underwhelmed. This is fun, light-hearted stuff. But the accolades that it is given here make no sense to me. Read more
Published on October 16, 2006 by P. Breakfield IV
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily one of the best books I've read so far in 2006.
David Berman, Actual Air (Open City, 1999)
In one of David Berman's amazing poems, we get this passage:
"He wasn't sure how the bathroom mirror worked... Read more
In one of David Berman's amazing poems, we get this passage:
"He wasn't sure how the bathroom mirror worked... Read more
Published on August 14, 2006 by Robert P. Beveridge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoy
I've ordered Actual Air a couple times from amazon, and both orders were cancelled due to the book being unavailable. Read more
Published on February 13, 2006 by Douglas
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