Max Jacob and the Poetics of Cubism [Hardcover]

Professor Gerald Kamber (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; First Edition edition (June 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801811600
• ISBN-13: 978-0801811609
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,111,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly work which entertains and enlightens, December 17, 2010

By 

Caraleisa (West Chester, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Max Jacob and the Poetics of Cubism (Hardcover)

So who the heck is Max Jacob? I bought this book because I know the author's wife, she knows I'm an artist and writer, and she mentioned the book. I looked it up and it sounded interesting so I ordered a used copy. Serendipity, for sure.

I am so very glad I did purchase it! Jacob was an Alsatian Jew whose family lived in Brittany, France. He wrote in French, and Kamber includes both the French and a translation as well as an explanation of both the individual writings and the greater cubist movement of the time.

It's a scholarly work - Kamber is clearly well-versed in his subject and as an academic, you find many references to literary methods of understanding work and the things which lay behind the creation of such work. That said, Kamber is anything BUT dry. His writing style is engaging and entertaining!

From my own perspective, I was embarassingly ignorant about cubism other than in painting. Kamber gave me an overview as well as an intimate portrait of Jacob, one of the luminary poets of the time, which greatly enhanced my own appreciation of cubist art.

Gerald Kamber is a very interesting man. He was a teacher at Kent State in Ohio when the horrible confrontation between students and the law resulted in the death of four students and the wounding of 9 others. He was one of the few teachers who, upon hearing the shots, went outside to help. He gave a very moving testimony, which is online, to the Kent State Truth Tribunal. To juxtapose the two - the intellectual academic and the humanitarian, gives a fascinating insight to the author which only adds to the enjoyment of reading his book.