The Auroras

by David St. John

Overview

“David St. John's work has been distinguished from the start by its intimacy and subtlety, and by a disturbing force, the work of an urgent sensibility and a true ear.” —W. S. Merwin

This long-awaited collection from David St. John is the most provocative, adventurous, and stylistically eclectic work of his career. The beauty, music, and artistry of David St. John’s poetry have been long admired; now The Auroras reveals the extent and breadth of this masterful poetic achievement. Readers of Larry Levis, Dana Gioia, and Phillip Levine will be captivated by this searing, surprising, and sensual collection from one of the world’s greatest poets writing at the height of his talent and insight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062088482
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/20/2012
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

David St. John is the author of eleven collections of poetry (including Study for the World’s Body, nominated for the National Book Award in poetry) as well as a volume of essays, interviews, and reviews titled Where the Angels Come Toward Us. A chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, he is University Professor and chair of the English Department at the University of Southern California, and lives in Venice Beach, California.

Editorial Reviews

Poems…full of magic and light…Essential for readers of contemporary poetry.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Read these poems slowly because this kind of writing does not happen overnight… THE AURORAS is luxurious whether dealing with the ordinary or the magnificent.” — Grace Cavalieri, Washington Independent Review of Books

From the Publisher

Read these poems slowly because this kind of writing does not happen overnight… THE AURORAS is luxurious whether dealing with the ordinary or the magnificent.

Grace Cavalieri

An aurora is an atmospheric light display, a natural event with perhaps mystical overtones. In this aptly titled volume, St. John (Study for the World's Body) gives readers shimmering lights of word and thought, renderings that contain "the most glorious sound [and sights], chimes & rattles & an iridescence in the ear—." St. John divides his work into three sections, the first presenting an assortment of ballads, with characters ranging from philosophers to mathematicians. In the next, he examines the landscapes of his youth, some rife with loss; the suffering of the characters is real or metaphorical, and salvation can come full of mystery. The last section presents a dozen poems honoring auroras—some of the loveliest poems in the collection, full of magic and light: "Tell me. What is the 'beautiful,' what is the 'lost,' & what lives still, just/ at the edge of the sound of the trees? It could be the syllables of habit;/ it could be a single phrase of gratitude... or an unbroken prayer. Tell me./ What will stay, & what will hold its grace & lasting ease?" VERDICT Essential for readers of contemporary poetry.—Karla Huston, Wisconsin Acad. of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Madison

Library Journal