This seething ocean, that damned eagle [Paperback]

Caleb Powell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 1993

Paul Taylor's search to find meaning in religion isolates himself from father and girlfriend, until tragedy sends him to Seattle and the grunge world of extreme hedonism. Paul creates self-made philosophical boobytraps as he experiences religion, love, death, drugs, and sex. Caleb Powell's work is forthcoming or in various literary magazines, including Fourth Genre, Gulf Coast, Post Road, The Rio Grande Review, and Zyzzyva.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Powell's writing is graphic, startling in its clarity, as Paul alternates between desire to serve God and his physical needs. --Spindrift Two, Summer 1994

This Seething Ocean, That Damned Eagle is a remarkable first work from someone who promises to be one of the more 'important up and comers' on the literary scene. The story compels readers, written with stark, clean, and matter-of-fact, almost existential prose. An important work from an author to watch. --Samantha Amara, author of Chopsticks and French Fries

About the Author

Caleb Powell s work is forthcoming or in various literary magazines, including The Baltimore Review, descant, Drunken Boat, Gulf Coast, The Los Angeles Review, The Pedestal Magazine, Post Road, The Rio Grande Review, The Texas Review, and Zyzzyva. He also contributes to The Rumpus, The Quarterly Conversation, and ESL Focus. He has lived and worked in Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Guam, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and The United Arab Emirates. His ESL guide, The World Is a Class, was published in Canada by Good Cheer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: Reflected Images Publishers; 1st edition (January 13, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878815040
• ISBN-13: 978-1878815040
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,269,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Taiwan, raised in the US, taught ESL overseas for eight years, and am now back in the Pacific Northwest. Some of my work is in The Ampersand Review, Dark Sky Magazine, decomP, descant, Drunken Boat, LITnIMAGE, The Monarch Review, Owen Wister Review, The Pedestal Magazine, Post Road, Prick of the Spindle, Reed Magazine, The Rio Grande Review, Word Riot, Yankee Pot Roast, Zyzzyva and others.

I self-published a novel twenty years ago, ten years ago a Canadian small press published my teacher's guide, and Yellow Cat Publishing (via my sister) published my Chinese game book.

My back and forth with David Shields, I Think You're Totally Wrong: A Quarrel, will be published by Knopf in 2014.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Growing Up May 5, 2003

By Socrates Litsios

Format:Paperback

This short book tells the story of a young man, Paul Matthew Taylor, whose drive to find God at the age of 17 blinds him to what a year later he realizes is the most important thing in life, namely, love. The crisis generated by his determination to force God upon his first girl friend, Julie, leads him to discover Seattle, alcohol, drugs, sex, a girl who wears a nose ring and boys who wear earrings. His earlier, secluded life, as an only child living in a Northwestern Washington town, dominated by the presence of the sea (seething ocean) and the beauty of nature (that damned eagle), seems to have left him poorly prepared for his new life. But slowly and resolutely, with a determination that reflects an inner strength that he probably is unaware of himself, he emerges a more mature and sensible human being. I found his transformation to be believable and a good read. A book to be recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Feels Like The First Time October 31, 2010

By Susana Mai

Format:Paperback

Paul is the adolescent male whose hermetical existence--no drugs, no sex, and a lot of philosophical thought on God--leaves him unprepared for the real world. A loner all his life, a little love and tragedy prick his curiosity and leave him hungry for meaning. We start with a kid who has never watched television, never had a kiss, never stepped outside his small Washington state town, and we end with a kid who, through courage and introspection, discovers himself, his desires, and his place in the world. In Paul's narrative we find frank, inquisitive prose that leaves the reader remembering his own simple yet gut-wrenching coming-of-age years. Caleb Powell has written our past as if we were looking at it for the first time. And, like all first times, our stomachs quiver with each page.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Literally could not put it down March 9, 2009

By D. Seipp

Format:Paperback

Cabel Powell vividly portrays the struggles of an introspective loner, Paul Taylor, who searches for meaning and answers in his journey into early adulthood. It's a refreshing story in that it refuses to follow the typical "coming of age" formula. Instead of finding answers, the endearing Taylor will eventually confront his own shortcomings and accept the idea that having all of the answers is less important than appreciating the world as it is. The story is thought provoking and entertaining and it's the only book I've read cover to cover in one sitting.