Forms of Prayer at the Hotel Edison: Poems by Kevin Bowen [Paperback]

Kevin Bowen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

These are poems of leave taking and of return, poems that record the experience of rural and urban isolation, of dislocation and violence, the histories of war and reconciliation in our century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kevin Bowen balances his role as a political poet with the grace and lyricism of a visionary who is also a teacher of peace. In these poems of turmoil, triumph, and survival, Bowen concentrates on three settings central to his life: Boston, Ireland, and Vietnam. His imagery and narratives pay a luminous homage to the landscapes and human events in each of the settings.

Bowen's poetry reveals the moments when home and history collide. In "Love in the Days of the Strangler" the speaker recalls the day the police came to talk with his young mother about the man who broke into the house at night and knelt by her bedside. "The Gypsies at St. Patrick's" is a portrait of intolerance by both gypsies and churchgoers, one group insulting the other in turn. In "History Lessons" Bowen cants his Irish "history / of bones / ...of late night lies and morning betrayals / the history of slow fuses and phone calls." The lament of "The Poetry Garden at Song Be" mourns a buffalo boy who had "run screaming from the bunker, / then the hand from the past reaching up / to take it all so fast away." Bowen's visions bridge a path between East and West. --Susan Swartwout

Review

"...First-rated collection...heavily weighted with poems reflecting his service as a U.S. Army draftee in Vietnam in 1968-69..." -- The VVA Veteran

"...marked by beautiful imagery...full of strong images and touching scenes." -- Socialist Worker

Product Details

• Paperback: 74 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Books; 1st edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880684551
• ISBN-13: 978-1880684559
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 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: #5,003,859 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

5.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW QUOTES, September 18, 2001

By 

Curbstone Press, Jantje Tielken, Editorial As... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forms of Prayer at the Hotel Edison: Poems by Kevin Bowen (Paperback)

"[Bowen's] poems about Vietnam convey the experience of war, but they also portray the country, its myths, its colors, its tragic history, and its graceful, resilient people." --The Boston Irish Reporter

"...marked by beautiful imagery...full of strong images and touching scenes." --Socialist Worker

"The sense of loss, of both life and place, experienced by both sides in the Vietnam war is evoked." --Irish Emigrant