What Narcissism Means to Me: Poems [Paperback]

Tony Hoagland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2003

An eagerly awaited new collection of poems by contemporary favorite Tony Hoagland, author of Donkey Gospel

How did I come to believe in a government called Tony Hoagland?
With an economy based on flattery and self-protection?
and a sewage system of selective forgetting?
and an extensive history of broken promises?
--from "Argentina"

In What Narcissism Means to Me, award-winning poet Tony Hoagland levels his particular brand of acute irony not only on the personal life, but also on some provinces of American culture. In playful narratives, lyrical outbursts, and overheard conversations, Hoagland cruises the milieu, exploring the spiritual vacancies of American satisfaction. With humor, rich tonal complexity, and aggressive moral intelligence, these poems bring pity to our folly and celebrate our resilience.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"How did I come to believe in a government called Tony Hoagland?/ with an economy based on flattery and self-protection?" How indeed. In Hoagland's third collection, as in the previous two, his speaker devotes considerable energy to unmasking this vulnerable self, revealing its ugliness, hatred and social sensitivity in articulate detail. A typical poem begins masochistically: " `Success is the worst possible thing that could happen / to a man like you,' she said, / `because the shiny shoes, and flattery / and the self-/ lubricating slime of affluence would mean / you'd never have to face your failure as a human being.' "-and then goes on to concede, perhaps predictably, that "anyway, she was right about me...." In milder poems, which often revolve around eating dinner, drinking wine and hanging out with friends (typically other creative writing professors), he explores a more social self, slipping into a "he said, she said" mode, and reporting at great length on friends' witticisms: "Kath says February is always like eating a raw egg;/ Peter says it's like wearing a bandage on your head; / Mary says it's like a pack of wild dogs who have gotten into medical waste,/ and smiles because she clearly is the winner." Hoagland funnels 21st-century corporate detritus into his more Whitmanesque impulses, in which he begins to explore a sweeping and explicitly American identity oriented by Radio Shacks and K marts. His attempts to branch out with satires of anthropological reportage, particularly about black people, can be somewhat embarrassing: "Black for me is a country/ more foreign than China or Vagina,/ more alarming than going down Niagara on Viagra...." Readers will probably prefer the poems about sitting alone in a room or drinking wine with Dean Young.
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About the Author

Tony Hoagland is the author of Donkey Gospel, winner of the 1997 James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets, and Sweet Ruin, winner of the Brittingham Prize in Poetry. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

Product Details

• Paperback: 78 pages
• Publisher: Graywolf Press (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555973868
• ISBN-13: 978-1555973865
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

TONY HOAGLAND is the author of three poetry collections, including What Narcissism Means to Me, finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Donkey Gospel, winner of the James Laughlin Award. He teaches at the University of Houston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i find my favorite poet., July 5, 2007

By 

fluffy, the human being. (forest lake, mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Narcissism Means to Me: Poems (Paperback)

for the past year or so i have been making an attempt to become a fan of poetry. there have been some ups and many downs. but i am now pleased to give a shout out to a poet i can honestly call my first favorite. tony hoagland's the name. smart with words, this fella. sad stuff & funny stuff, & stuff to make one think about the old life. and a genius who avoids pretension i would say, and will say: a genius who avoids pretension. not one reference to greek mythology in these poems (thank God!) as far as i can recall. intelligent straightforward and a joy to read. he riffs with words like john coltrane does with music, free from cliche, hitting unexpected places: places that are either fun or a revelation to visit. i loved this book, as well as his equally great "sweet ruin." i suggest that you read this man's work.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, blunt poetry from a captivating author, June 11, 2004

By 

Y. Zemmel "oryx06" (Antioch, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Narcissism Means to Me: Poems (Paperback)

While taking a poetry class from Mark Jarman, I had the chance to hear Tony Hoagland read selections from this, his newest book, as well as selections from Donkey Gospel, along with some unpublished works. If at all possible, hear this man read his poetry--it is incomparable and surprisingly refreshing. I usually don't like poetry readings, but after hearing some of these poems, I ended up buying two of his books, and they haven't ceased to amaze me yet. This poetry is not afraid of mentioning such common things as a "kissy-face," and at the same time, not afraid to confront the emotions tied to being a human being.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What does narcissism mean for you?, February 26, 2004

By 

Elizabeth M. Webb (Madison Heights, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Narcissism Means to Me: Poems (Paperback)

The first thing I noticed about Tony Hoagland's poetry is his fearless approach to the blunt truth. With censorship still a touchy literary topic, questions stir in my mind from leading lines like "Black for me is a country / more foreign than China of Vagina" directly proceeding two poems with extremely angry overtones, "Hate Hotel" and "Fire". He is a poet truly in touch with and in an understanding of his feelings, with the skills to create his raw, uncensored emotions in our own experiences.

Some of my favorite poems are "Phone Call", in which Hoagland's speaker realizes the sadness of his father's life and the impact that the speaker's harsh words have on the now-frail man's spirit; "Appetite", in which the speaker's thoughts trail away from the restraint table and through a series of visually surreal images that reflect that ominous presence that is death-in-wait; and "America", in which Hoagland confronts his own questions about American capitalism while still being true enough to admit his own weaknesses against it - "And yet it seems to be your own hand / Which turns the volume higher?"

This honesty and fearlessness is empowering and refreshing. Hoagland uses shared experiences and actualities to encourage his reader to question their everyday actions and beliefs. Questions of homosexuality, capitalism, political correctness, and racism appear throughout this collection and force me, as a reader, to take Hoagland's hand and dwell within my own confusion and uncertainties.