Sixty-Seven Poems For Downtrodden Saints [Hardcover]

Jack Micheline (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

"Sixty-Seven Poems For Downtrodden Saints" is the last book completed by poet, Jack Micheline, prior to his death. It is an important publication and one of Micheline's finest, representing a great variety of Micheline's body of work, and includes many unique photos and graphics of "Beat Generation" writers. This book is a treasure.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This collection of late beat poet Jack Micheline's work is a true testament to the life and work of a great, largely unheralded artist. First published in 1997, this now revised edition was produced and published by friend, editor and San Francisco Public Defender Matt Gonzalez with an assist by Jack's son Vince Silvaer. This book is an amazing labor of love in terms of both the work and production which includes not just poetry, but Jack's art, photos, flyers, biographical material and an appendix of quotes from many famous and not so famous writers, posts and artists who know Jack and his work. This edition also includes letters from Charles Bukowski on Micheline, and a section covering the Skinny Dynamite trial for obscenity. Jack Micheline was an original voice in American letters, and Sixty-Seven Poems makes a case for this that is beyond reproach. Not just beat or street, he was actually a very accomplished writer and poet. He spent his life pounding away at the ! track, the typewriter, paint with brush, pen and ink, and the tempest of his everyday existence, all found here within these pages. He was a long shot player who always pulled for the underdog. A common man with a genius for the ages whose words and work will live long thanks to the hard work of Matt Gonzalez. Jack has been kissed by the angles on this one. The only sad note in this beat opera is that this book came so late in his life. The first edition (out of print within months) was published just before he died. He was certainly published much in chapbook form, and is very widely published in many anthologies, but was ignored by the more reputable publishers of poetry in his life. This book does not make up for this loss, but makes its own mark. It is a beautiful and comprehensive collection that will hopefully cross over and reach the much affected academia that could use a shot of Jack. Beat, no chaser. -- S.A. Griffin, Vice & Verse

From the Inside Flap

Jack Micheline spoke to the poet in everyone in an age when business is usual and poetry a sideshow. He was authentic street and so we are witness to the voice of the undefeated. - Jack Hirschman

Takes a simple word makes it bleed lets it laugh the eye cries tears that tear geographies apart-apart from any system - Jack Micheline cuts his words from gut-strings to make the music of his poems. - Ruth Weiss

Jack Micheline was a true minstrel. A wandering poet singing timeless songs for our own sad, desperate time. - Diane di Prima

Jack Micheline spirited bop poet of the streets, moonbeams, the human cri & souls. One of the Beat comets that blazed a luminous trail. - Anne Waldman

Jack Micheline gregarious, boisterous, unstoppable, his energy, edgy optimism and righteous anger gave him a high-octane approach to life. Over the years, he endured, scrambled in the margins, grumbled against the suits who ran everything but couldn't touch freedom to write and paint his heartful, tender ire and optimistic resilience. Like one of those club fighters up against the ropes, Jack always rallied to win another fight. - David Meltzer.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: FMSBW (January 1, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0966669606
• ISBN-13: 978-0966669602
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,101,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb collection of the work and life of Micheline, November 25, 1999

By 

S. S. Harrison (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sixty-Seven Poems For Downtrodden Saints (Hardcover)

A lot of ink has been spilled on the "beat" writers but many of these beats spent much of their time in front of cameras and at writing conferences. Jack Micheline lived, breathed, laboured and endured as a street poet. He lived in run-down hotel rooms and captured what he saw.He writes about real people. This volume, done masterfully by Matt Gonzalez is an important contribution to real American literary history and not the media hype. I love all the photo's and Micheline art work and extra's.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars saints rejoice!, September 29, 2006

By 

gus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sixty-Seven Poems For Downtrodden Saints (Hardcover)

unknown scrawling lyrical madness on boxcars of desire

too fast too fast ...

a street poet, not a beat poet

poet, even? sure

wordsmith of no reknown

kind kindred of whitman prosey past

knock down drag out breaking hearts

put it down long ago

i am finding out now

read it aloud in the streets of your youth

don't pretend to understand but leave a little room for the

beauty that is everywhere ...

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars at last a fitting tribute to an overlooked american legend, July 29, 2005

By 

T. Murray "kidmonk" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sixty-Seven Poems For Downtrodden Saints (Hardcover)

at long last jack micheline has been given a fitting tribute...of course following in the great american tradition you must of course be dead to acquire fame and or at least a hint of reception...this is a fabulous collection of poetry artwork reviews and correspondence...this is the tip of an enormous unpublished iceberg that is the scattered works of jack micheline.