Modern History [Perfect Paperback]

Christopher Buckley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

This intensely personal collection of symphonic prose poems uses politics, physics, popular culture, nostalgia, and off-the-wall humor to articulate and ignite metaphysical arguments. Christopher Buckley employs a sardonic wit and poignant lyricism to wheedle clarity out of chaos and coax wisdom out of absurdity. Just as he investigates and questions the vagaries of knowledge, so does he explore the prose poem, testing and probing its boundaries to see if it will accommodate his powerful insight and decidedly original outlook. His facility with scientific precepts is matched and cleverly juxtaposed with his penchant for wacky nostalgic detail; old movies, simonized Chryslers, and doo-wop music are the backdrop for a spirited glide through twenty years of this eminent poet's pursuit of the absolute.

Editorial Reviews

Review

humor is a constant tug on the harness of nostalgia. Buckleys ongoing wonder at the miracle of what happens in the world and how experience lodges under the skin, serves as a way home and a way forward."" Killarney Clary

""Christopher Buckley has been for 20 years one of our pioneers of the prose poemBrian Clements, editor of Sentence: A Journal of Prose

These ruminations on time, morality and the meaning of life showcase Christopher Buckleys enthusiasms and verbal gusto As a whole, the book adds up to spending time with a witty, knowledgeable, wise companion whose mind and exclamations never fail to intrigue. Morton Marcus --Review

About the Author

A child of California, Christopher Buckley grew up in the edenic hills, beaches and woods around Santa Barbara/Montecito in the 1950s and 60s. He received his B.A. from St. Marys College of California, an M.A. in English/Creative Writing from San Diego State University, and an M.F.A. in poetry at University of California Irvine. He has taught writing and creative writing at California State University Fresno, University of California Santa Barbara, West Chester State University in Pennsylvania, and for the last eleven years has taught in the creative writing department at the University of California Riverside. Modern History is his 16th book of poems.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Tupelo Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932195688
• ISBN-13: 978-1932195682
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 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: #1,147,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful Work in the Prose Poem, February 13, 2009

By 

Mark Jarman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern History (Perfect Paperback)

This is a first rate work by a master of the form. Buckley explores all the possibilities of the prose poem in this collection and succeeds brilliantly.