num_pages: 158
description: Poetry. THE TABLETS takes its place as a worthy successor of the great American long poems of our Pound's Cantos, Williams' Paterson, Olson's Maximus, Zukofsky's A. The first edition, published in 1968, included eight tablets. Over the years, THE TABLETS continued to grow. The present edition is the first to include all twenty-seven tablets that Schwerner had completed at the time of his death, along with the poet's own commentary on the work in the form of Journals/Divagations. This edition also includes a CD of Schwerner reading extensive selections of THE TABLETS. Schwerner's poem mimics the conventions observed in real scholarly editions of ancient cuneiform texts ... THE TABLETS is a Chinese-box puzzle, in place of a primal scene of archeological insight, a game of hide-and-seek, in place of 'knowledge,' uncertainty, speculation, make-believe and trompe l'oeil effects--Brian McHale.
language: English
title: The Tablets
titlecomplete: The Tablets
genres: Poetry
ratings_count: 50
publisher: The National Poetry Foundation