Confession (Phoenix Poets) [Hardcover]

Susan Hahn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226312739 | ISBN-13: 978-0226312736 | Publication Date: February 15, 1997 | Edition: 1

Confession, the companion to Incontinence, Susan Hahn's previous prize-winning book of poetry, continues the probing, visceral account of the relationship of a woman with her estranged husband and her inconstant lovers. Ingenious, disturbing, Confession will enhance an already substantial following for this exceptional poet.

"Phoenix Poets is the most distinguished university press series going."—Alfred Corn

"Compressed, controlled, circumscribed by the artist's discipline, the poems in Susan Hahn's Confession do not spill over; each is like a steadily held cup containing its pain."—Alicia Ostriker

"Hahn's voice is unique and unforgettable . . . . Hahn's self-revelation is so startling, and her details so extraordinary, that she virtually detonates her poems with energy. . . . Plath, Ai, Sexton—Hahn brings to mind those vivid, violent poets, but her voice is clearly her own, strong and without either shrillness or shame."—Patricia Monaghan, Booklist

"In her third book of poems, Confession, Susan Hahn continues to refine her amazing capacity to disquiet, disgust and fascinate. This may not sound like a recommendation, but it is. . . . The precision of Hahn's language stands out even more clearly when compared to the looser, baggier free verse that dominates so much contemporary poetry."—Maureen McLane, Chicago Tribune

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Hahn's voice is unique and unforgettable, though stylistically, she shares much with other poets, especially women poets, who have combined searing self-revelation and exacting concern for ordinary details. But Hahn's self-revelation is so startling, and her details so extraordinary, that she virtually detonates her poems with energy. She is almost breathless from simple exposure to life and death, seemingly skinless against the pain of existence. "I want to pick up every heart / and tear each apart, be without / a backbone, a simple animal. . . . The soul collects too much soot / on this circuitous route / I cannot keep it virtuous." Plath, Ai, Sexton--Hahn brings to mind those vivid, violent poets, but her voice is clearly her own, strong and without either shrillness or shame. Patricia Monaghan

Review

The Animals
Blue Baby
A Cappella
The Center Of Gravity
Commandment
Confession
Depression
The Devil's Legs
Disorderly Conduct
The Dream Of Late Spring
Earthquake
False Spring
February Day
Felony
The Fifth Amendment
First Blooms
For Beauty
Fraud
He Who Whittled My Soul
Henna
In Kansas, At The Menninger Clinic
Insomnia
Inspiration
The Law Dictionary
The Laws Of The Soft Ground
Liposuction For The Soul
Lost Autumn
The Lovers
Mens Rea
Music From A High-strung Instrument
Nature's Bouquet
The New Age
Nijinsky's Dog
Passover, Easter, Hitler's Birthday
Pinched Nerve
Pneumonia
Poem In Late May
Poison
Song Of Estrogen
Summer Cold
Swastika
Time Change
Yeast
Young Woman With Blood
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (February 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226312739
• ISBN-13: 978-0226312736
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,715,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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