A second book by "one of the most exciting and accomplished poets of his generation" (Richard Burgin, Boulevard), named one of "24 Poets for the 21st Century" by Library Journal. Edward Nobles' significant new book, distinguished by its passionate individuality and vision, takes the reader on a harrowing journey along the troubled but enlightening walkways of the self and soul. Whether traveling through the interior opulence of "Twelve Magazines" or the anguished childhood darkness of "A Small Cluster of Stars," poem after poem is suffused with longing, courage, unsettling wit, and transformative power. The Bluestone Walk both confirms and extends Noble's growing reputation as "a scrutinizer of the soul's troubles...a daring and accomplished truth-teller" (Rachel Hadas, The Kenyon Review).
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Nobles's second collection presents two distinct poetic sensibilities. The bulk of the book works squarely in the time-honored American tradition of sentimental realism, but numerous poems evince the influence of Continental surrealism and expressionism. While neither approach is consistently successful here, Nobles fares better when working in the American grain. The book's first two sections contain many of its strongest moments, as Nobles quietly plumbs themes of time and memory with a wrought attentiveness to the natural world and a number of quotidian, often antique or castaway, objects: "Chipped white ceramic,/ with little green left,/ legs knocked off,/ hands clasped, upward dredged/ distorted grimace,/ a drunkard's image/ of what a saint might be." Far too often, however, descriptive imagery can stray into cloying sentiment: "everything is distant, hidden/ in time's mystery, a deep happiness/ that floats with me, within me,/ on my small raft." Poems on the difficulties of desire can fall prey as well ("Lust is like a canyonAsteep, rugged,/ a long way down"), or turn aggressive, as when a rat emerges from the toilet and wages an intimate attack on the speaker, "followed by rat after rat after rat." Not all of Nobles's figurative or expressionistic efforts are this graphic, but many are as self-indulgent. The book's final section, however, a long collage poem about childhood, shows Nobles attempting to synthesize his approaches, hinting at the promise of a next collection. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Nobles's second collection, following the well-received Through One Tear, continues to explore the border between the metaphysical and the surreal. Having worked as a stone mason for many years (he's now a university risk manager), Nobles recalls, in voice and circumstance, other New England poets from outside the academyDFrost, Stevens, and BishopDwho sharpened their imaginations on homely bits of daily life. In the first of four sections, stone work is used to evoke the obsessive, painstaking work of writing, somewhat like Frost's apple picking. In the title poem, the narrator builds a flagstone walk; in another, he finds "the exact right stone./ But that wall was finished/ (the house, where was it?) several years ago." The next section, "Twelve Magazines," uses Vogue, Field & Stream, and other journals as springboards for sensual ruminations on the relics and fetishes of lost lives. A third section deals with love relationships in the present. The book ends with "A Small Cluster of Stars," an impressive long poem about a painful childhood that cuts to the heart without sentimentality. While Nobles falls into metaphorical patness at times, he can also move beyond safe borders into exciting territory. Recommended.DEllen Kaufman, Dewey Ballantine LLP Law Lib., New York
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended,
By A. Smith (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Bluestone Walk: Poems (Paperback)
I enjoyed this book of poetry a great deal. The book interweaves traditional poems with more experiental ones, but the traditional ones have a wonderful edge of moving into new territory, where the experimental ones are traditional in their care for craft. Never boring or trite. I was deeply moved by any number of poems. And, most importantly, the poems here transcend the normal and take the reader into a world unique unto itself. The Bluestone Walk proves that there is new life in the world of poetry.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Strong Collection,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Bluestone Walk: Poems (Paperback)
The Bluestone Walk is an exciting book written in a poetry style that is both unique and rich with craft. I was mesmorized from beginning to end. The long poem, "A Small Cluster of Stars," is nothing short of a masterpiece, alone worth the cost of the book. I recommend The Bluestone Walk to anyone looking for serious poetry that matters. This book matters.
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