From Publishers Weekly
The largess of this book (nearly 300 poems) matches the sensibility of the poetry that is devised with broad brushstrokes and unrestricted affection for the ordinary world. Young ( Seduction by Light ) is interested in everything from Li Po to Nijinsky, from the Rolling Stones to John Coltrane. The geographic reach of the collection stretches from Brooklyn to Paris, Los Angeles, Mississippi, Poland, Stockholm and Detroit. From the beginning, Young's work was affected by the black experience and the first poems focus on "dilettante" militants, jazz musicians and important distinctions between black and white: "When white people speak of being uptight / theyrestet talking about dissolution & deflection / but when black people say uptight / they mean everything's all right." This poetry is "uptight," full of play, openness, a certain kind of ease. Young rejects blind anger, which segregates; his instruction to a friend is succinct: "Nor must you let the great haters / of our time / rattle in your heart." The introduction presents a diverse list of poets who have influenced Young, including Mayakovsky, Lorca and LeRoi Jones. There is also some of the dreamy parody of Frank O'Hara at work here.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Considering that Young has previously published four books of poetry (one of which includes selected as well as new poems), the size of this volume comes as something of a shock. Included are three unpublished book manuscripts as well as 50 pages of miscellaneous poems. The result is impressive if uneven. Throughout his career, Young built his books upon contrivance (the "dances" of his first book, Dancing , 1969; the 1985 manuscript "22 Moon Poems"), but his best works have a distinct and recognizable style. Young, who has also published three books of "musical memories" and with Janet Coleman has coauthored a book on Charles Mingus ( Mingus-Mingus , Creative Arts Bks., 1989), adopts more than the rhythms of blues and jazz--he takes the very songs to heart, using music as a springboard for self-definition. By no means a formalist, he has an easygoing way with rhyme, using it sparingly and upredictably. Heaven is highly recommended.
- Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
