Publisher Description

In the tradition of essayists like Montaigne and Emerson, Gerald Stern reflects with wit, pathos, rage, and tenderness on 85 years of life. In 70 short, intermingling essays Stern moves nimbly between the past and the present, the personal and the philosophical. Creating the immediacy of dailiness, he writes with entertaining engagement about what he's reading, be it Spinoza, Maimonides, John Cage, Etheridge Knight, James Schuyler, or Lucille Clifton, and then he seamlessly turns to memories of his student years in Europe on the GI Bill, or his political and social action. Interwoven with his formidable recollections are passionate discussions of lifelong obsessions: his conflicted identity as a secular Jew opposed to Israel's Palestine policy; the idea of neighbors in various forms, from the women of Gee's Bend, who together made beautiful quilts, to the inhabitants of Jedwabne, who on a single day in 1941 slaughtered 300 Jews; and issues of justice.

Author Biography

Gerald Stern's recent books of poetry are Early Collected Poems: 19651992, Save the Last Dance, This Time: New and Selected Poems, which won the National Book Award, Odd Mercy, and Bread without Sugar. His collection of essays What I Can't Bear Losing was published by Trinity University Press in trade paper in 2009. His honors include the Award of Merit Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Paris Review's Bernard F. Conners Award, the Bess Hokin Award from Poetry, the Ruth Lilly Prize, four National Endowment for the Arts grants, the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Jerome J. Shestack Poetry Prize from the American Poetry Review, and fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. In 2005 Stern was selected to receive the Wallace Stevens Award for mastery in the art of poetry. For many years a teacher at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, Stern now lives in Lambertville, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

1. Park Bench, Chinese Poet, Bob Summers 2. Dragonfly, Insects, Famous Deaths p. 5 3. Chance Writing, Meister Eckhart, Jewish Saints, Ahmadinejad p. 11 4. Lamb, Seders, Elijah, the Last Supper, Gospel of Mark p. 13 5. "Christ," The Lamb p. 19 6. Diary of the Mind, Santa Maria de Popola, Campo de Fiori p. 24 7. Amalfi Coast, Dogs p. 25 8. Tyler Art School, Louise Fishman, Boris Blai p. 28 9. Rome, Pope, Jews p. 31 10. Fanny Howe's The Winter Sun, "God" p. 33 11. "Christians" in Haiti, Haiti p. 34 12. Fanny Howe, Education of the Poet p. 36 13. Straddling, Publishing Late p. 37 14. My Mother and Father p. 39 15. The Pennsylvania RR in Pittsburgh p. 40 16. Back pain, Rome, Athletes, Joe Louis, Billy Conn p. 41 17. Jack Gilbert p. 44 18. Haiti, the Long History p. 45 19. Stan Barret p. 46 20. Comedy, Leipzig, Germany, Bach, Terry Gross, MOVE, My Humor 21. Rugby and Business, Quaker Interview, Sports p. 59 22. Papacy, Deicide p. 61 23. Work for Government During the War, Movies in Indiana p. 63 24. Learning Poetry, Living Cheap, Workshops, Iowa p. 65 25. Dragonflies and Being p. 70 26. Robin and Uncle Harry p. 70 27. Lucille's death p. 72 28. Robin, Crises, Pianist at Zaks, Kenneth Gabura p. 75 29. Redbud, Late Spring, 50 more pages, Marie Ponsot p. 80 30. Alana Rose p. 84 31. 26 Vandam, William Merwin, John Gardner, lost girl p. 85 32. Kamps, Signs Over Gates p. 91 33. Dragonflies p. 91 34. My Big Mouth, Tourettes, Karis, Birth Mothers p. 93 35. Trip to New York With Poet-Potter p. 95 36. James Schuyler p. 97 37. Dragonflies, Dog Eat Dog p. 99 38. Medal at Academy of Arts, Pearlstein, Levine p. 100 39. Meister Eckhart p. 103 40. Larry Levis, Caravaggio p. 105 41. Angela Hazley's Death p. 110 42. Haiti, Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Aristide, AIDS p. 114 43. New Zealand Poet, Broadsides, Creeley p. 119 44. Demystification, Gilgamesh, Spinoza p. 120 45. Hank Evans, Remorse, Gilgamesh p. 124 46. Etheridge Knight p. 127 47. McChrystal, Pruning Hooks, Chris Hedges, Israel p. 135 48. Charlie I p. 141 49. Israel p. 142 50. Nut-Death, Grandfather, Transit Cop p. 144 51. Marie Ponsot p. 148 52. Again Haiti p. 148 53. Charlie and Elvira II p. 148 54. McChrystal p. 149 55. Robert Bernat p. 150 56. Montpellier, Carmen, Bill Basnight p. 153 57. Diane Freund p. 156 58. Atlantic City p. 157 59. Charlie III p. 157 60. Libby p. 158 61. Bialystock, 1906 p. 161 62. Poland I p. 163 63. Poland II p. 164 64. Neighbors I p.166 65. Lev Going p. 171 66. Lev Not There p. 172 67. Neighbors II p. 174 68. Neighbors III p. 176 69. Neighbors IV, John Cage p. 181 70. Atlantic City p. 186 71. Childhood in New York, p 187 72. Henry James on NY p. 189 73. Henry Miller, Air Conditioned Nightmare 191 74. Miller, New York p. 193 75. Simone de Beauvoir, New York p. 195 76. Atlantic City p. 199 77. Turkish Restaurant in Paris p. 199 78. Paul McCartney p. 200 79. Yom Kippur Pear p. 201 80. Betty Cray, p. 203 81. Hole in Forehead p. 204 82. Port Authority Bus Terminal p. 210

Review

"Gerald Stern is one of those writers whose style insinuates itself into your consciousness like a catchy tune, so that you find your thoughts echoing its rhythms, bopping from one to another, back and forth, like thought and language doing a jitterbug." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
BR>"There is no warning as to where Jerry, as his many friends call him, will strike next as he roams about his long and productive life." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "It is patient and wise, but also frenzied, angry--kind of wild. It's loose and free, but also elegantly written. The work is a trip, full of humor, wit and wisdom. The kind of thing you read in slow, measured sips. It's your grandfather on Sunday afternoons, after his scotch, plunked down on the beat-up old armchair that became his honorary pedestal." -- San Antonio Express-News "By turns Talmudic and profane, unsentimental and heartbreaking: the poet transforms himself in these essays into a Tristram Shandy for our times, a Montaigne who finds in the intricate unspooling of experiences, outrages, and joys a perspective that is generous, wise, and cut through with wit."-- Walter Mosley

Long Description

In the tradition of essayists like Montaigne and Emerson, Gerald Stern reflects with wit, pathos, rage, and tenderness on 85 years of life. In 70 short, intermingling essays Stern moves nimbly between the past and the present, the personal and the philosophical. Creating the immediacy of dailiness, he writes with entertaining engagement about what he's reading, be it Spinoza, Maimonides, John Cage, Etheridge Knight, James Schuyler, or Lucille Clifton, and then he seamlessly turns to memories of his student years in Europe on the GI Bill, or his political and social action. Interwoven with his formidable recollections are passionate discussions of lifelong obsessions: his conflicted identity as a secular Jew opposed to Israel's Palestine policy; the idea of neighbors in various forms, from the women of Gee's Bend, who together made beautiful quilts, to the inhabitants of Jedwabne, who on a single day in 1941 slaughtered 300 Jews; and issues of justice.

Review Quote

"Gerald Stern is one of those writers whose style insinuates itself into your consciousness like a catchy tune, so that you find your thoughts echoing its rhythms, bopping from one to another, back and forth, like thought and language doing a jitterbug." -- Philadelphia Inquirer BR>"There is no warning as to where Jerry, as his many friends call him, will strike next as he roams about his long and productive life." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "It is patient and wise, but also frenzied, angry--kind of wild. It's loose and free, but also elegantly written. The work is a trip, full of humor, wit and wisdom. The kind of thing you read in slow, measured sips. It's your grandfather on Sunday afternoons, after his scotch, plunked down on the beat-up old armchair that became his honorary pedestal." -- San Antonio Express-News "By turns Talmudic and profane, unsentimental and heartbreaking: the poet transforms himself in these essays into a Tristram Shandy for our times, a Montaigne who finds in the intricate unspooling of experiences, outrages, and joys a perspective that is generous, wise, and cut through with wit."-- Walter Mosley

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