Stealing History
Will be published approx. on 22. November 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
314 pages
978-1-59534-141-9 (ISBN)
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.
More details
Edition
First Trade Paper Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
San Antonio
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
376 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59534-141-9 (9781595341419)
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
Gerald Stern
Stealing History
E-Book
01/2012
1st Edition
Trinity University Press
€13.49
Available for download
Person
Gerald Stern's recent books of poetry are Early Collected Poems: 1965--1992, 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.
Content
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