
For Lack of a Dictionary
Rosalind Morris(Author)
Fordham University Press
Published on 1. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
80 pages
978-1-5315-0973-6 (ISBN)
Description
Poetry that weaves personal narratives with deep political insights, masterfully exploring the intricate intersections of history, philosophy, and emotion
In this debut collection, renowned scholar Rosalind Morris spans the lyrical landscapes of personal experience and global political dilemmas. Organized into four distinct sections, each featuring seven poems that vary in style and content, For Lack of a Dictionary reflects the diverse facets of human complexity and the struggle to find a language capable of addressing them. Beginning with a mythopoetic exploration of the self and progressing through varied voices and forms-from the epistolary and the erotic to the elegiac-the collection navigates the absences and presences that shape our interpersonal connections. From Homer's Iliad to Hobbes's Leviathan, and from the intimate letters of the Rosenbergs to the television broadcasts of lunar landings, Morris revisits epic figures of classical literature with a contemporary voice, concluding with poignant reflections on personal loss and the seductive allure of magical thinking in times of grief.
In the tradition of Adrienne Rich and Muriel Rukeyser, Morris engages in a dialogue that challenges and enlightens, positioning For Lack of a Dictionary as a profound commentary on the intersections of personal and political realms.
In this debut collection, renowned scholar Rosalind Morris spans the lyrical landscapes of personal experience and global political dilemmas. Organized into four distinct sections, each featuring seven poems that vary in style and content, For Lack of a Dictionary reflects the diverse facets of human complexity and the struggle to find a language capable of addressing them. Beginning with a mythopoetic exploration of the self and progressing through varied voices and forms-from the epistolary and the erotic to the elegiac-the collection navigates the absences and presences that shape our interpersonal connections. From Homer's Iliad to Hobbes's Leviathan, and from the intimate letters of the Rosenbergs to the television broadcasts of lunar landings, Morris revisits epic figures of classical literature with a contemporary voice, concluding with poignant reflections on personal loss and the seductive allure of magical thinking in times of grief.
In the tradition of Adrienne Rich and Muriel Rukeyser, Morris engages in a dialogue that challenges and enlightens, positioning For Lack of a Dictionary as a profound commentary on the intersections of personal and political realms.
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 139 mm
Width: 215 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
120 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5315-0973-6 (9781531509736)
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
Person
Rosalind Morris, Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University, is a prolific writer and scholar. Her recent books include Unstable Ground: The Lives, Deaths, and Afterlives of Gold in South Africa and Accounts and Drawings from Underground, co-created with William Kentridge. Recognized with Rockefeller and Guggenheim fellowships, a Berlin Prize, and residencies at prestigious institutions, as well as film festival prizes, Morris's academic and creative works traverse disciplinary boundaries with artfulness, courage, and precision. Visit www.rosalindcmorris.com for more.
Content
If I Am
If I Am Six 3
If I Am Seven 5
Ten in the Library 7
Eleven: Grammar Lessons 8
Befindlichkeit 9
The New Girl 11
Patty Hearst Pays a Visit 13
Everyone Burns Their Witches
Fear and I Are Twins 17
Huntsville, TX 21
If in a Tomb 27
Letter to the Front in a Time of AIDS 34
Late Night News 36
Here and There 37
Blue 39
Ways of Seeing
Dreaming Eden 43
Eyeless in Summer 45
K, Accountant 48
Blackest Above the Abattoir 51
Variorum on Emily Dickinson's Bluebird 53
The Astronaut in Isolation 55
Ways of Seeing (a Memory of Italy) 56
Something Gets Planted
The Moons of Fifty 61
Transit of Mercury 66
Reading Dante in St. John the Divine Cathedral 67
Hudson River Rhapsody 68
Latenight, Called by You 70
Sappho's Foot 71
Something Gets Planted 73
Notes and Acknowledgments 77
If I Am Six 3
If I Am Seven 5
Ten in the Library 7
Eleven: Grammar Lessons 8
Befindlichkeit 9
The New Girl 11
Patty Hearst Pays a Visit 13
Everyone Burns Their Witches
Fear and I Are Twins 17
Huntsville, TX 21
If in a Tomb 27
Letter to the Front in a Time of AIDS 34
Late Night News 36
Here and There 37
Blue 39
Ways of Seeing
Dreaming Eden 43
Eyeless in Summer 45
K, Accountant 48
Blackest Above the Abattoir 51
Variorum on Emily Dickinson's Bluebird 53
The Astronaut in Isolation 55
Ways of Seeing (a Memory of Italy) 56
Something Gets Planted
The Moons of Fifty 61
Transit of Mercury 66
Reading Dante in St. John the Divine Cathedral 67
Hudson River Rhapsody 68
Latenight, Called by You 70
Sappho's Foot 71
Something Gets Planted 73
Notes and Acknowledgments 77