Pax Atomica: Poems [Hardcover]

Campbell McGrath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

"America's epic is the odyssey of appetite," Campbell McGrath declares, and these poems track those defining hungers across a social landscape by turns "grave, risible, amazing, banal," cataloging the "vortex of images in a ruined theater the culture comes to resemble," from Rocky and Bullwinkle to "Blue Angels rampant on a field of static, / anthem and flag descending to darkness." In terza rima meditations, rock-and-roll elegies, and abecedarian lyrics, Pax Atomica documents the tangled romance between self and society ("in which / the melody's ampersand ensnares us") in ways both new and familiar to readers of McGrath's five previous volumes. A continuation as well as a departure for one of America's most highly honored poets, this is poetry of formal eloquence and rhetorical power, of vision and engagement. Pax Atomicadescends into the maelstrom of American culture and emerges singing.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since his much-praised Spring Comes to Chicago (1996), McGrath's readers have known what to expect: his long lines and catalogues mingle American treasures and American detritus, social critiques and topical jokes, to give his odes and verse-essays a sometimes lighthearted, consciously Whitmanesque flair. McGrath won a MacArthur grant on the strength of that style (continued in 2002's Florida Poems), and this sixth book continues in the same vein: the opening poem considers "the gigawatt voice/ of the culture—popular culture, mass culture, our culture—kaboom!" McGrath indeed tries to acknowledge, even to praise, as much of that culture as he can—he offers a "song of the RV and the barbed-wire school bus farm," "a paradoxical, Froot Loopian/ awakening to the mechanisms of the marketplace," even an epigram on fast food ("the sandwiches at Subway/ suck"). Many poems focus on McGrath's post-Baby Boom upbringing, and on his generation's popular (and obscure) songs; a final segment travels to Ireland and Spain. His signature form, the abecedarian catalogue (in which line one starts with A, line two with B, and so on) rewards expansion rather than compression and reconsideration, and thus can feel more sprawlingly horizontal than deep. And if this volume represents little advance, it certainly confirms McGrath's success in his ambitious, and accessible, mode.
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About the Author

Campbell McGrath's previous collections are Shannon, Seven Notebooks, Capitalism, American Noise, Spring Comes to Chicago, Road Atlas, Florida Poems, and Pax Atomica. His awards include the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations. He teaches in the creative writing program at Florida International University in Miami.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1st Edition edition (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060745649
• ISBN-13: 978-0060745646
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,658,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hit and Miss, August 23, 2005

By 

Dan R. Dick "doroteos" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pax Atomica: Poems (Hardcover)

McGrath offers an uneven take on contemporary American culture through this eclectic selection of poems. Flashes of brilliance emerge, but often feel bogged down in cleverness. His cynicism spans the spectrum from incisive to caustic, and sometimes the impact of the message dissolves due to the acid edge. Infinite Needs is a favorite, and it makes me think that 100 years from now readers might discover a window into the early 21st century by reading McGrath. The good here is very good; but many left me cold.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A maelstrom, April 13, 2005

By 

Ellen (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pax Atomica: Poems (Hardcover)

Campbell McGrath's Pax Atomica is full of $1.50 words and a mish-mash of cultural references, everything from The Ramones to Harleys, to Clint Eastwood to Da Vinci. His poems are lyrical and humorous, fun to read while also accomplishing commentary on American Culture. If you love poetry that comments on modern times and is accessible, then you should read this book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give it a read - I loved it!, April 22, 2005

By 

N. Berk "Satan’s Apprentice – CRW3311" (FSU) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pax Atomica: Poems (Hardcover)

I am prepared to hail Campbell McGrath as a master of resounding images and a social commentator extraordinaire; a poet with a powerful voice. Made me laugh, made me think. He will impress you with his outstanding and varied intellect - from geology to music, art, and T.V., and back again to botany. McGrath's pieces are enjoyable and gratifying on multiple levels. He demonstrates a love of words and exhibits variance of structure that adds to each piece's individuality; and while he exercises an assortment of tones, the book in its entirety is a cohesive work. I found his observations poignant, his opinions fascinating, and his book thoroughly engaging. Everyone I really like is getting a copy of Pax Atomica for Christmas.