American Linden [Hardcover]

Matthew Zapruder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

It is rare to come across a first book that embraces the world the way we see it, and the way it can be imaginedwith such a wise and graceful mixture of humor, loss, intelligence, wit, self-deprecation, and hope. American Linden is such a first collection. The poems in this book are valuable, even necessary. They are, in the most important sense, love poems: to people, to ideas, to feelings, and to the mind itself, which by means of language move with honesty, wit, and distinction among the fleeting things of this world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matthew Zapruder, editor-in-chief at Verse Press, makes his own verse debut with American Linden, sure to receive cognoscenti attention, especially in Verse's home bases (New England and New York). Zapruder's hip lyricism offers both the slippery comedy and a surprisingly grave, ultimately winning, commitment to real people, emotions, locales: "My lack of compassion astounds me," Zapruder explains, "and must not come to know itself"; another poem ends as the poet himself is admonished, "`Come back when you have something/ less riveting to say.'"
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Perfect Paperback edition.

Review

Matthew Zapruder, editor-in-chief at Verse Press, makes his own verse debut with American Linden, sure to receive cognoscenti attention, especially in Verse's home bases (New England and New York). Zapruder's hip lyricism offers both the slippery comedy and a surprisingly grave, ultimately winning, commitment to real people, emotions, locales: ""My lack of compassion astounds me,"" Zapruder explains, ""and must not come to know itself""; another poem ends as the poet himself is admonished, ""`Come back when you have something/ less riveting to say.""
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Publishers Weekly

...severe, steady, surprising... a book that takes my mind and gives it a good shakingever so gently"" -- Dara Wier
""Matthew Zapruder is a dangerous poet..."" -- Dean Young
""Often whimsical, always lyric, this poetry is ceaselessly travelling; I was glad to be taken along on its journeys."" -- D. A. Powell --Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Tupelo Press (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193219505X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932195057
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,204,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty and lyric in one breath, June 30, 2006

By 

Ivan W. Fuller (Sioux Falls, SD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Linden (Perfect Paperback)

Matthew Zapruder is the kind of poet you want to crack open over a beer far from home. Take the time to relish the imagery in this great collection, to let yourself walk the path of Zapruder's memories, to laugh at the outrageous (yet oh-so-right) nuggets of truth contained here. After soaking in a few of these poems you soon learn that you're in the confident hands of a searcher...and his way is open to anyone who wants to join him. Thanks, Matthew...for everything! I'm looking forward to "The Pajamaist!"

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic., September 15, 2005

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Linden (Perfect Paperback)

Matthew Zapruder, American Linden (Tupelo, 2002)

One of the drawbacks of having rooms full of books waiting for you to read them (and it's even worse if you have a library card and wide-ranging tastes) is that once in a while you hear good things about a book right after it comes out, put it on the list of "hmm, I should read that some day," and then promptly forget about it for three years. This is exactly what happened to me with Figments guitarist Matthew Zapruder's American Linden, and I'm kicking myself for not having just gone out and found a copy as soon as I heard good press about it.

Zapruder's work is the kind of stuff you read simply for the pleasure of hearing the words flow by in your head.

"Where I inspect myself
for a black and white cat
who hides my sluggishness from inspectors.
His name is Joselito."
("Park Slope")

There is a great deal of depth and definition to Zapruder's word choices; so many of these poems work so well that it's extremely difficult to find fault with a single word. (One wonders how much of this was workshopped or criticized by outside sources; one suspects the answer is "none of it.") It's work that says its piece and gets out, though you'll likely be left pondering what, exactly, that piece might be.

In an age where it seems anyone with a connection to other media are pumping out books of poetry to no end (viz. recent howlingly bad collections by Jimmy Stewart, Jimmy Carter, Jewel, Ally Sheedy, etc. etc. ad nauseam), it's nice to find someone who can work this well in both genres. Highly recommended. **** ½

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars New kid's head on the block, June 4, 2011

By 

Simon G. Barrett (london, england) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Linden (Hardcover)

Precious, vapid and unmemorable, bar two *knockout* poems, the poignant A Return and the even more perfect School Street; it helps that the latter is funny, always a good sign. So, what's going on, Matt? (The dazzling reviews here are for the most part suspicious, odd or cringeworthy.) Less is more. Don't blow it.