Title: US poetry in the age of empire, 1979-2012 /
Authors: Gwiazda, Piotr K., 1973-
Year: 2014
Subjects: American poetry History and criticism; American poetry History and criticism.; Politics and literature United States History; Politics and literature United States History; LITERARY CRITICISM American General.; LITERARY CRITICISM Poetry.; POLITICAL SCIENCE Political Process Political Advocacy.; American poetry; Politics and literature
Abstract: "This book considers poems published in the United States since 1979 that directly engage with national and global politics. It shows that some of America's leading poets take it upon themselves to perform the role of public intellectuals. In doing so, these poets raise important questions about poetry and its social value. Examples include Robert Pinsky's An Explanation of America (1979), Adrienne Rich's "An Atlas of the Difficult World" (1991), Amiri Baraka's "Somebody Blew Up America" (2002), as well as books by Juliana Spahr, Ben Lerner, Lisa Jarnot, Mark Nowak, Anne Boyer, and Rodrigo Toscano. US Poetry in the Age of Empire traces the extent to which poetry, viewed as a language-based art form and an affect-producing tool, imparts knowledge about today's rapidly changing world"--
Contents: Machine generated contents note: -- Introduction: Civic Poetry, 1979-2012 -- 1. "Beyond My Outrage or My Admiration": Robert Pinsky's An Explanation of America -- 2. "Nothing Else Left to Read": Adrienne Rich's "An Atlas of the Difficult World" -- 3. "Who the Biggest Terrorist": Amiri Baraka's "Somebody Blew Up America" -- 4. Ether: Juliana Spahr, Ben Lerner, Lisa Jarnot -- 5. Dreams of a Common Language: Mark Nowak, Anne Boyer, Rodrigo Toscano -- Coda: For Whom Does One Write?