Cleopatra in the Night: Poems [Paperback]

Bruce Feld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

The poems in Cleopatra in the Night, by Bruce Feld, deal with the historical and literary figure we know as Cleopatra, Ptolemy, Queen of Egypt. But Cleopatra here is also a modern character, a symbol of modern--or timeless--human powers and frailties. She represents, of course, mysterious romantic attraction, sexual power, hubris, and female strength. Also on board are the other players, Antony and Caesar, who are similarly ancient and modern. The poems are largely set in the Mediterranean of romantic history, but they are as modern, contemporary, and American as AIDS and Mormons.

These poems are playful, lush, humorous, lusty. They are about flawed, foolish, heroic human beings with their private problems and their problematic relationships. They are wildly entertaining and thought-provoking. They show a good blend of intelligence, education, and feeling.

Also included in Cleopatra in the Night are selected other poems by Bruce Feld, and here we meet old friends and are introduced to new ones: Mozart, Sappho, Bertrand Russell, Stonewall Jackson, Chicago, New York, and more. And the entire collection captures the sensuous and provocative nature of its subject: poetry and Cleopatra--and historical figures who haunt our thoughts and live on in history and our imaginations. Cleopatra in the Night reveals a poet's meanderings as he, and we, ponder what we know and remember and imagine in history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Actium
And Who Begat Gargantua?
Antony Writes To Cleopatra
Antony's Death
Antony's Note
Antony, Defeated By The Parthians, .... Singing A Libation To The Sun
Bertrand Russell
Born On Jackson's Birthday
Caesar Confides To Antony
The Captives By The River
Cleopatra Consults A Soothsayer
Cleopatra Enters Alexandria To Be Crowned As Cleopatra Vi Philopater
Cleopatra Prepares For Caesar
Cleopatra Replies
Dream Of The Eumenides And Mozart
Her Education
I Read The Morning
The Inimitable Livers
The Inimitable Livers Die
Iras Attends The Queen In Rome
La Belle Dame Avec Merci
Leonardo Di Caprio Marries
Obit: New York
Octavius Defeats Antony In The Suburbs Of Alexandria, Egypt, Africa
Over The Edge
Playtime
A Poem For Emily
Postcard
Postscript
Pour Dieu Et Mon Droit
Sappho In South Dakota
A Sing-song Lady
A Sleeping Gypsy
Summer In The City
The Supplicant
Torii
Trumpets
View From The Ambassador East, Chicago
Visiting Rome
The Way Of Guernica
The Young Cleopatra
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

From the Publisher

History and the Imagination Combined: Contemporary Cleopatra

The poems in Cleopatra in the Night, by Bruce Feld, deal with the historical and literary figure we know as Cleopatra, Ptolemy, Queen of Egypt. But Cleopatra here is also a modern character, a symbol of modern--or timeless--human powers and frailties. She represents, of course, mysterious romantic attraction, sexual power, hubris, and female strength. Also on board are the other players, Antony and Caesar, who are similarly ancient and modern. The poems are largely set in the Mediterranean of romantic history, but they are as modern, contemporary, and American as AIDS and Mormons.

These poems are playful, lush, humorous, lusty. They are about flawed, foolish, heroic human beings with their private problems and their problematic relationships. They are wildly entertaining and thought-provoking. They show a good blend of intelligence, education, and feeling.

Also included in Cleopatra in the Night are selected other poems by Bruce Feld, and here we meet old friends and are introduced to new ones: Mozart, Sappho, Bertrand Russell, Stonewall Jackson, Chicago, New York, and more. And the entire collection captures the sensuous and provocative nature of its subject: poetry and Cleopatra--and historical figures who haunt our thoughts and live on in history and our imaginations. Cleopatra in the Night reveals a poets meanderings as he, and we, ponder what we know and remember and imagine in history.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Fithian Press (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564742865
• ISBN-13: 978-1564742865
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,178,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful: breathtaking use of imagry, emotions, and reality, July 3, 2000

By 

Deborah A. Harris (Fairmont, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cleopatra in the Night: Poems (Paperback)

Feld's use of emotions, deceit, redemption, power and lust make this book a must read for anyone who knows of the story of Cleopatra.