The Creation of the Night Sky: Poems [Paperback]

Nicholas Christopher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 1999

Nicholas Christopher's newest collection displays both his trademark mastery of language and astonishing range. In elegaic verses of surpassing beauty we are taken from the lush islands of Hawaii to the streets of Greenwich Village after midnight to a sparsely attended Las Vegas funeral. Whether he is describing items lost and found or a woman drowning in a stormy sea, Christopher's verse is filled with moments of spiritual illumination that confirm his reputation as one of the most important magic realist poets writing today.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Christopher's latest volume of poetry evaluates the spiritual through the physical realm of this world. Each poem moves from one line to another with alacrity. The images and rhythms build on one another, creating a poetic Bolero. "Night Journal," the beautiful centerpiece for the book, is a series of journal entries depicting the parallel lives of three characters. The spiritual reality is that, although they lead individual lives, their choices and actions ultimately affect one another. Vivid and rhythmic, this dreamlike poem creates a crescendo of imagery, and the paradox of all the poems is summed up in two of its lines: "Darkness is the only road to freedom/ and it leads nowhere." Scene after scene can be interpreted in one of two ways: either the world is spiritually dead, or it has just turned its "night sky" to spirituality. Essential reading, these poems are a spiritual awakening.?Tim Gavin, Episcopal Acad., Merion, Pa.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This long poem is written as independent pieces that fit together puzzlelike to produce a cumulative effect: the creation of one night's experiences. Dream, fantasy, memory, and simultaneous realities occur, and Christopher reins them in with the solid use of form. His writing contains curiosity, enthusiasm, intensity, and ambitious desire that would seem more typical of a younger, less-established writer. He is open and willing, while at all times a master of selecting particulars he knows will engage his readers. This consequential, nonlinear approach in combination with intriguing subject matter leaves the reader with questions to ponder and potent images to revisit. At the end, one may even feel as though he or she just lived other people's lives. Like entering a good novel, one is able to suspend disbelief and resist stepping out of the poetic settings and stories. Christopher's voice and style are indeed distinct. Creation of the Night Sky will only reinforce this in readers whether they are familiar or not with his work. Janet St. John --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (April 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156005654
• ISBN-13: 978-0156005654
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,993,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christopher's latest has more noir-ish goodies, February 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Creation of the Night Sky (Hardcover)

Nicholas Christopher's latest book of poems features some trademarks of his, including noir-ish portraits of cities, and a long poem (in 35 entries this time) that interweaves several characters and different events in unexpected ways. Though he's done this kind of thing before (5 Degrees, Desperate Characters, On Tour With Rita) this time it's more coherent and immediately accessible than those earlier works. It still takes a minute to bend your mind around some of the concepts he uses, but it's more immediately to your advantage this time around. A good read for those unfamiliar with his work, but offers extra goodies for those who know his poetry beforehand.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A master of imagery and the surreal, May 30, 2000

By 

Chris MB "CMB" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Creation of the Night Sky: Poems (Paperback)

To preface, I'm no great fan of poetry. I don't read the stuff often but I was interested in this collection after I read Christopher's novel Veronica. While the poetry is good, its the imagery that makes this collection. Christopher is undoubtedly one of the most creative and imaginative writers working today. I would highly recommend Veronica but this collection will give readers some insight into the mind of a visionary.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars pretensious, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Creation of the Night Sky: Poems (Paperback)

While at first drawn into the lush visual imagery, I eventually found the poems, and long journal in the back, strikingly empty. Christopher seems to be a showman, constantly performing for the reader with too many sleights of hand and verbal somersaults. The basic premise of the journal is interesting, but Christopher takes the rumination of life and death to a cloyingly predictable, pretensious degree. The Dcotor, the driver are one dimensional figures trapped in Christopher's invention. The overall effect is a kind of patronizing and inaccessible work, where Christopher's characters are walking blindly through a universe of chaos, where the poet seems to mourn their darkness yet fail to illuminate much for the reader. A depressing combination, in part because the poet obviously spent a good deal of energy performing for the reader during what's essentially an empty journey.