Amazon.com Review
William Maxwell called these poems "sleight of hand demonstrations," and it's not hard to see why. Marked by a deceptive simplicity and economy, the poems contain worlds of playful wisdom. Lax was a well-regarded avant-garde poet when he moved from the United States to Greece in 1962, and the American reading public hasn't heard much from him since. A Thing That Is should make him an instant favorite among poetry-lovers.
From Library Journal
For 35 years, Lax has been living in self-exile, mostly on the Greek islands. Before leaving, he had already established himself in the forefront of the avant-garde, publishing experimental, abstract poetry that echoed the thunderous works of John Cage, William Burroughs, and the Abstract Expressionist painters while earning him acclaim and respect. This is the first volume of all-new poems he has published in America since the 1960s. Given to short lines arranged in long columns, Lax's poems link the natural and personal in simple, direct, deadpan narration. The simplicity can be misleading, not in its initially unnoticed depth or metaphor but in its very purity, its almost ascetic singleness of purpose: "each day/ the same/ walk up/ the hill/ same turns/ same shad/ ow of the tree/ each sta/ tion of/ the way/ takes on/ its own/ set of/ meanings." Lax has been working at the margins for a long time and has found a crisp and comfortable way of ordering and exploring his contemplations. This collection is not for everyone, but it is a essential for that special audience for truly avante-garde work.?Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
