The German Lunatic [Paperback]

Robert Hershon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2000

"A nonstop commentary on everything from movies, to politics, to aging parents. The individual poems feel open, unpredictable, [showing] a keen moral sense in face of an ambiguous, absurd world."--Gardner McFall, AMERICAN BOOK REVIEW "Splendid contemporary examples of...streetwise, urban poetry...a joyous celebration of city life..."--Joel Lewis, FORWARD

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Writing poetry is as natural an act for Hershon as walking across the Brooklyn Bridge toward home. The author of 10 previous volumes and a tireless champion of poets and poetry, he is utterly at ease on the page: amused and amusing, conversational, and philosophical. He remembers his parents in their last days, and legendary baseball players, and recounts the pleasure of sitting in a bar with friends. He worries that his nightmares are low class; he wanders the ghost-thronged streets of London and Venice, and always chooses the perfect detail to affix the mood of the moment in the mind of his readers. Hershon pays tribute to James Boswell in his own thumbnail biographies, then ponders the dynamic of racial tension, the stunned aftermath of violence, and the absurdity of so many human obsessions. He's seen it all, but he's still looking, still finding the right words, and still relishing such marvels as the unbridled joy of a playful cat and the presence of his loved ones. Donna Seaman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

A-c
Advice
Andy Sipowicz
Asian Night At Sea
At The Conference, This Wonderful Meat
B-movie Remake
Bill Zavatsky
The Bisons Play
Bleu Joke
Bob Kaufman
Breath And A Name
Brooklyn Bridge The Other Way
Bus To Venice
'but That's Not Poetry'
Calendar And Book
Constance Bennett
The Cowboy And The Farmer Should Be Friends
Cut Flowers
Dale Rostomily
Derek Jeter
Doctor In The House
Dupe University
Ed Head
Everything Through A Prism Today
F Train Questions This Morning
Fish Name
Floating Hats
A Fly On The F Train
Forgetting Whole Bodies
Front Moves Through
Gauze
The German Lunatic
Gertrude Wiest
The Green Valley
Had This Been Snow
Henry Hillman
Her Brother's Wedding
His Family Her Family
James Boswell
Joe Dooley
Keep Your Cat Up
Kid Moves Out
Last Famous Words
Light And Dark, East And West
London
The Mansard Roof As A Sign Of The Maturity Of Roadside Architecture
Marianne Moore
Nathan Whiting
Parked On Sullivan
Party Of Five
Past
A Primer For Tonight's Audience
Prose Poem
Rabbita Bunnita
Rhonda Fleming
Rose Brook
The Royal We
Same Title As Before
Samuel Johnson
Sister Sadie
A Voyage To Atlanta City
When To Pay The Visiting Poet
White Wine
Whitey Crombie
Who's Who In The East
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder® --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Hanging Loose Press; 1st edition (May 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882413709
• ISBN-13: 978-1882413706
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 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: #2,425,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding collection!, June 6, 2000

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The German Lunatic (Paperback)

The German Lunatic is Robert Hershon's eleventh published collection of poetry and continues to document his ability to produce humorous verse as well as deeply serious poems. His subject matter ranges the entire gamut of human emotions and modern life. His Family Her Family: It's simple/Everyone in my father's family/dies of cancer/Everyone in my mother's/family dies of heart disease//It took me a while to realize that/his family and her family/added up to my family/Now I can hear them arguing/in their adjacent graves/You take care of it/No, you