
Tricks of the Light
New and Selected Poems
Vicki Hearne(Author)
John Hollander(Editor)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 1. September 2007
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-226-32241-4 (ISBN)
Description
The old dog now floats in the earth's crust, turning over as I walk by working a dog of different breeding. "Tricks of the Light" explores the often-fraught relationships between domestic animals and humans through mythological figurations, vibrant thought, and late-modern lyrics that seem to test their own boundaries. Vicki Hearne (1946-2001), best known and celebrated today as a writer of strikingly original poetry and prose, was a capable dog and horse trainer and sometimes-controversial animal advocate. This definitive collection of Hearne's poetry spans the entirety of her illustrious career, from her first book, "Nervous Horses" (1980), to never-before-published poems composed on her deathbed. But no matter the source, each of her meditative, metaphysical lyrics possesses that rare combination of philosophical speculation, practical knowledge of animals, and an unusually elegant style unlike that of any other poet writing today. Before her untimely death, Hearne entrusted the manuscript to distinguished poet, scholar, and longtime friend John Hollander, whose introduction provides both critical and personal insight into the poet's magnum opus.
"Tricks of the Light" - acute, vibrant, and deeply informed - is a sensuous reckoning with the connection between humans and the natural world.
"Tricks of the Light" - acute, vibrant, and deeply informed - is a sensuous reckoning with the connection between humans and the natural world.
Reviews / Votes
"I have admired Vicki Hearne's poetry for more than a quarter-century, but am still dazzled each time I read through John Hollander's beautifully edited volume of her new and selected poems. The superb title sequence, 'Tricks of the Light,' sustains many rereadings, and is worthy of Hearne's distinguished precursor, Wallace Stevens, who would have delighted in it. Her concerns were horses, dogs, men and women, but above all what Stevens called 'the hum of thoughts evaded in the mind.'" - Harold Bloom"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 24 mm
Width: 16 mm
Thickness: 2 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-32241-4 (9780226322414)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2008
1st Edition
University of Chicago Press
€30.49
Available for download
Persons
Vicki Hearne was a poet, writer, and dog and horse trainer. She is the author of several books, including Nervous Horses and Adam's Task: Calling Animals by Name. John Hollander is the Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University. He is the author of numerous works of poetry and criticism, most recently of The Work of Poetry.