Customer Reviews

West of the American Dream: An Encounter with Texas (Tarleton State University Southwestern Studies in the Humanities)

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Paul Christensen's sweeping analysis of Texas poetry and poets is unprecedented in the critical oeuvre of modern times. His brilliant study is the product of decades of insightful observation and analysis. A highly accomplished poet himself, he lays bare the essence, both artistic and philosophical, of virtually every significant Texas poet of our time. Highly recommended.

This book is interesting, and achieves verisimilitude by its somewhat random structure, and stream-of-consciousness execution. One has the sense of peering over the author's shoulder as he composes late at night.
This work reminds me of Flyfishing through the Midlife Crisis by Howell Raines. Christensen's voice is warmer, and slightly less cynical, but then he is writing about Texas, not Washington D.C. Christensen is a poet, and sprinkles his prose with lovely turns of phrase, and flights of fancy.
I was delighted by the fact that there is a tradition of women's poetry societes in Texas, a province thought to be the exclusive domain of snippy New Englanders. Richard C. Hoagland reminds us that people turn to poetry when they are under a state of siege.
Christensen's main concern seems to be that Texas poets have not written an epic about their state, a state worthy of epic writings. Perhaps one brave soul will pick up the gauntlet and succeed at such a challenging undertaking.