39 poems written between 1987 and 1992 by the woman Adrienne Rich has called, "a major American poet whose concerns are international, and whose words have left their mark on many lives."
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Lorde's ( A Burst of Light ) poems have always melded the political and lyrical worlds, the ordinary and the luminous, addressing controversial topics that she struggled with as a black lesbian poet, and the work in The Marvelous Arithmetics of Distance is no exception. These poems are reminders of her characteristic themes, from ecstatic poems of love and self-discovery to others grappling with cancer and the fear of death. The work here enhances Lorde's tradition of clipped, sparse lines that turn unexpectedly from one subject to another, and of arresting and often unabashedly political imagery. Some of the poetry about death is haunting, as in the last stanza of "Speechless:" "Death / folds the corners of my mouth / into a heart-shaped star / sits on my tongue like a stone / around which your name blossoms / distorted." Or in "Restoration: A Memorial--9/18/91," a poem describing the aftermath of hurricane Hugo, which devastated the house Lorde lived in, but was written from another continent, where she was undergoing chemotherapy: "In this alien and temporary haven / my poisoned fingers / slowly return to normal / I read your letter dreaming / the perspective of a bluefish / or a fugitive parrot."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“This welcome collection, spanning the last half-decade of Lorde's life, shows the poet connecting the personal and the political with a fluent, conversational voice that holds the reader like great oratory.” (Booklist )
“In these last poems we recognize the same vibrant, brave and generous soul we knew before. A wonder in itself.” (Alice Walker )
“This volume resonated with some of the finest poems Audre Lorde ever wrote: sinewy, lyrical, celebratory even in the face of death, and always political in the best sense. Now the poet is gone—but the work lives, and sings.” (Robin Morgan ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
“In these last poems we recognize the same vibrant, brave and generous soul we knew before. A wonder in itself.” (Alice Walker )
“This volume resonated with some of the finest poems Audre Lorde ever wrote: sinewy, lyrical, celebratory even in the face of death, and always political in the best sense. Now the poet is gone—but the work lives, and sings.” (Robin Morgan ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful and compelling collection,
By
This review is from: The Marvelous Arithmetics of Distance (Paperback)
This is a beautiful collection of poems by a woman searching for answers in the face of her impending death. She examines not only her past, but also the world around her in deft, perceptful, and moving poems. I highly recommend this book to any fan of poetry.
5.0 out of 5 stars
POWERFUL, COURAGEOUS, AND INSPIRING,
By Aberjhani "Author of the novel "Christmas... (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Marvelous Arithmetics of Distance (Paperback)
There is a kind of poetry that explodes, like danger or love, out of the lives of certain poets whether they and readers are ready for it or not. It was that kind of volatile and transformational poetry which Audre Lorde wrote up until her death in 1992 and included in her last volume, THE MARVELOUS ARITHMETICS OF DISTANCE. This is a collection of 39 poems written while Lorde battled against the advanced stages of cancer that eventually claimed her life. The poems draw as much power from what they don't say as from what they do. Poems such as "Prism" and "For Craig" show a deep maternal concern for youth and women continuously victimized by violence throughout the world. Fully present throughout THE MARVELOUS ARITHMETICS OF DISTANCE is Lorde's trademark intolerance for political, social, and racial injustice. But the most powerful element here perhaps is Lorde's insistence on claiming her approaching death in order to consciously shape her experience of it. By doing so, she maintained until the end an inspiring sense of self-ownership in her art and in her life.
Aberjhani author of I MADE MY BOY OUT OF POETRY and ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE
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