The Lords of Misrule: Poems 1992-2001

by X. J. Kennedy

Overview

Winner of the Poets Prize

The Lords of Misrule, X. J. Kennedy's seventh volume of poetry, exhibits his characteristic blend of wit, intellectual curiosity, and formal mastery. The sixty poems collected here explore a wide range of subjects: a scathing curse on a sneak-thief, a wry ballad of Henry James and his not-quite lover Constance Fenimore Woolson, an elegy for Allen Ginsberg, incisive views of contemporary Egypt, a serio-comic meditation on the relic of St. Teresa of Avila which Spain's General Franco kept at his bedside, and a response to the events of September 11. Like the controlled frenzy of medieval Christmas festivities presided over by the appointed Lords of Misrule, Kennedy's poems possess a chaotic humor and frenetic energy held within tight metrical bounds. In his latest collection, Kennedy confirms his reputation as one of America's most accomplished and engaging poets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801871689
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	11/15/2002
Series:	Johns Hopkins: Poetry and Fiction
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

X. J. Kennedy has written poetry, children's verse, and fiction as well as textbooks on writing and literature. Before becoming a full-time writer, he taught at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina–Greensboro, Tufts University, Wellesley College, the University of California–Irvine, and Leeds University. He now lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and sometime coauthor, Dorothy M. Kennedy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Invocation
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2. Narratives
Chapter 3. Satires and Versions
Chapter 4.
Notes
Acknowledgements

What People are Saying About This

Jack Foley

Kennedy's verse is wonderfully successful and a delight to read. His work makes us think: How wonderful rhyme and meter are—I was to try that too!

From the Publisher

Kennedy's verse is wonderfully successful and a delight to read. His work makes us think: How wonderful rhyme and meter are—I was to try that too!
—Jack Foley, Station KPFA, San Francisco

Editorial Reviews

For over forty years, techincal virtuoso X. J. Kennedy has entertained readers with tightly constructed formal poems in colloquial language, and he reasserts his formalist credentials in his latest collection, The Lords of Misrule . . . [Kennedy] makes us understand why our world drives us to song.
—Southern Review

The Lords of Misrule contains poems that successfully inhabit the narrow ledge halfway down from the frosty summit of Arnoldian high seriousness and halfway up from the balmy vale of outright light verse. They also inhabit diners, opera houses, traffic jams, motorcycle rallies, pizza parlors, Saturday morning police courts, and even the gallows of Villon's Paris.
—R. S. Gwynn, Hudson Review

[Kennedy] can be light and amusing, or tender and touching, or acerbic and cutting . . . The Lords of Misrule demonstrates convincingly his poetic breadth and vigor, and the depth of feeling that his verse can convey. The collection confirms his position as a preeminent voice in American poetry today.
—Chronicles

Kennedy is often cited as one of American poetry's premier practitioners of light and satirical verse, and here he doesn't disappoint . . . [however], despite the frivolity supposed by the book's title, and Kennedy's often employed humor, many of the poems are more interested in death and the loss or stoppage of time . . . in what is one of the best poems written about September 11th, Kennedy brings both his meditation on death and his breath of new life together.
—Jason Gray, Smartish Pace

Kennedy writes with contemporary sharpness and displays a mastery of tradition and technique.
—Wilmer Mills, Chattanooga Times Free Press

New England's master of light verse returns to familiarly sardonic territory in this, his seventh collection, which mixes dry with and restrained verse-narrative with poems on surprisingly serious subjects . . . Kennedy's work remains cultured, likable, and witty.
—Publishers Weekly

Some poets . . . form part of a historically small but robust band whose spirits never seem to flag in their prolonged observation of the human concourse. Such poets, being able to maintain a witty engagement with life in all its forms and in a variety of stances, strike us as perpetually young and remain consistently readable. X. J. Kennedy falls into this company . . . [The Lords of Misrule] happily shows that a poet can enjoy a constant upward curve in both mastery of craft and crispness of expression . . . This rich and varied collection [was] evidently assembled with a great deal of thought for theme, variation and contrast.
—N. S. Thompson, Times Literary Supplement

There is absolutely no reason to read the poetry of X.J. Kennedy unless you appreciate form, balance, intelligence, wit, grace and the English language. In The Lords of Misrule . . . he combines a respect for order with broad humor and a spiritual sensibility, managing to be serious but not somber, comical but not foolish.
—Robert Flanagan, Columbus Dispatch

X. J. Kennedy belongs to that class of uncompromising formalists that includes Richard Wilbur, Anthony Hecht, Donald Justice and W. D. Snodgrass . . . Widely regarded, and occasionally disregarded, as a practitioner of light verse . . . he serves his light with a healthy dose of darkness; his best work is a tug of war between levity and gravity.
—Eric McHenry, New York Times Book Review

Kennedy thrills in writing about the prurient sans prurience . . . these poems sometimes fall into astounding constellations.
—Virginia Quarterly Review

Philosophic and wry in their handling, here are poems on everything from deer ticks, police court, aspirin, cherry pie, Allen Ginsberg, airport bars, and homeless people in an Egyptian cemetery, to the most classic themes of love, death, nature, and history . . . In their jousting, funny, satiric moods, few readers will find in these pages a theme with which they cannot identify.
—Kenneth Hart, Journal of Jersey Poets

From the Publisher

Well, here he goes again, America's finest formalist, with a simply delightful collection of new poems.

Texas Review - Paul Ruffin

The Lords of Misrule contains poems that successfully inhabit the narrow ledge halfway down from the frosty summit of Arnoldian high seriousness and halfway up from the balmy vale of outright light verse. They also inhabit diners, opera houses, traffic jams, motorcycle rallies, pizza parlors, Saturday morning police courts, and even the gallows of Villon's Paris.

Hudson Review - R. S. Gwynn

Kennedy's 'wit' is not mere cleverness. Rather it combines accuracy of perception with the metaphoric imagination that, with his ability to juggle fixed forms, enlivens the best poems in this satisfying collection . . . In these poems we are connected—to the formal tradition, to the social and natural worlds in which we live, and to each other.

New England Review - Ghita Orth

There is absolutely no reason to read the poetry of X.J. Kennedy unless you appreciate form, balance, intelligence, wit, grace and the English language. In The Lords of Misrule . . . he combines a respect for order with broad humor and a spiritual sensibility, managing to be serious but not somber, comical but not foolish.

Columbus Dispatch - Robert Flanagan

Philosophic and wry in their handling, here are poems on everything from deer ticks, police court, aspirin, cherry pie, Allen Ginsberg, airport bars, and homeless people in an Egyptian cemetery, to the most classic themes of love, death, nature, and history . . . In their jousting, funny, satiric moods, few readers will find in these pages a theme with which they cannot identify.

Journal of Jersey Poets - Kenneth Hart

Kennedy writes with contemporary sharpness and displays a mastery of tradition and technique.

Chattanooga Times Free Press - Wilmer Mills

Kennedy is often cited as one of American poetry's premier practitioners of light and satirical verse, and here he doesn't disappoint . . . [however], despite the frivolity supposed by the book's title, and Kennedy's often employed humor, many of the poems are more interested in death and the loss or stoppage of time . . . in what is one of the best poems written about September 11th, Kennedy brings both his meditation on death and his breath of new life together.

Smartish Pace - Jason Gray

These are beautiful poems by one of the best poets we have.

Sewanee Review - Richard Moore

X. J. Kennedy belongs to that class of uncompromising formalists that includes Richard Wilbur, Anthony Hecht, Donald Justice and W. D. Snodgrass . . . Widely regarded, and occasionally disregarded, as a practitioner of light verse . . . he serves his light with a healthy dose of darkness; his best work is a tug of war between levity and gravity.

New York Times Book Review - Eric McHenry

The poetry is mordant, funny, and even sometimes rather frightening; the poet, so much in control of his formal means.

Hudson Review - Emily Grosholz

Some poets . . . form part of a historically small but robust band whose spirits never seem to flag in their prolonged observation of the human concourse. Such poets, being able to maintain a witty engagement with life in all its forms and in a variety of stances, strike us as perpetually young and remain consistently readable. X. J. Kennedy falls into this company . . . [The Lords of Misrule] happily shows that a poet can enjoy a constant upward curve in both mastery of craft and crispness of expression . . . This rich and varied collection [was] evidently assembled with a great deal of thought for theme, variation and contrast.

Times Literary Supplement - N. S. Thompson

Kennedy thrills in writing about the prurient sans prurience . . . these poems sometimes fall into astounding constellations.

Virginia Quarterly Review

For over forty years, techincal virtuoso X. J. Kennedy has entertained readers with tightly constructed formal poems in colloquial language, and he reasserts his formalist credentials in his latest collection, The Lords of Misrule . . . [Kennedy] makes us understand why our world drives us to song.

Southern Review

[Kennedy] can be light and amusing, or tender and touching, or acerbic and cutting . . . The Lords of Misrule demonstrates convincingly his poetic breadth and vigor, and the depth of feeling that his verse can convey. The collection confirms his position as a preeminent voice in American poetry today.

Chronicles

[Kennedy] can be light and amusing, or tender and touching, or acerbic and cutting... The Lords of Misrule demonstrates convincingly his poetic breadth and vigor, and the depth of feeling that his verse can convey. The collection confirms his position as a preeminent voice in American poetry today.

Chronicles - Catharine Savage Brosman

For over forty years, techincal virtuoso X. J. Kennedy has entertained readers with tightly constructed formal poems in colloquial language, and he reasserts his formalist credentials in his latest collection, The Lords of Misrule... [Kennedy] makes us understand why our world drives us to song.

Southern Review - Jay Rogoff

Kennedy's 'wit' is not mere cleverness. Rather it combines accuracy of perception with the metaphoric imagination that, with his ability to juggle fixed forms, enlivens the best poems in this satisfying collection... In these poems we are connected—to the formal tradition, to the social and natural worlds in which we live, and to each other.

— Ghita Orth

New England Review

Well, here he goes again, America's finest formalist, with a simply delightful collection of new poems.

— Paul Ruffin

Texas Review

These are beautiful poems by one of the best poets we have.

— Richard Moore

Sewanee Review

Philosophic and wry in their handling, here are poems on everything from deer ticks, police court, aspirin, cherry pie, Allen Ginsberg, airport bars, and homeless people in an Egyptian cemetery, to the most classic themes of love, death, nature, and history... In their jousting, funny, satiric moods, few readers will find in these pages a theme with which they cannot identify.

— Kenneth Hart

Journal of Jersey Poets

X. J. Kennedy belongs to that class of uncompromising formalists that includes Richard Wilbur, Anthony Hecht, Donald Justice and W. D. Snodgrass... Widely regarded, and occasionally disregarded, as a practitioner of light verse... he serves his light with a healthy dose of darkness; his best work is a tug of war between levity and gravity.

— Eric McHenry

New York Times Book Review

There is absolutely no reason to read the poetry of X.J. Kennedy unless you appreciate form, balance, intelligence, wit, grace and the English language. In The Lords of Misrule... he combines a respect for order with broad humor and a spiritual sensibility, managing to be serious but not somber, comical but not foolish.

— Robert Flanagan

Columbus Dispatch

Some poets... form part of a historically small but robust band whose spirits never seem to flag in their prolonged observation of the human concourse. Such poets, being able to maintain a witty engagement with life in all its forms and in a variety of stances, strike us as perpetually young and remain consistently readable. X. J. Kennedy falls into this company... [ The Lords of Misrule] happily shows that a poet can enjoy a constant upward curve in both mastery of craft and crispness of expression... This rich and varied collection [was] evidently assembled with a great deal of thought for theme, variation and contrast.

— N. S. Thompson

Times Literary Supplement

Kennedy writes with contemporary sharpness and displays a mastery of tradition and technique.

— Wilmer Mills

Chattanooga Times Free Press

Kennedy is often cited as one of American poetry's premier practitioners of light and satirical verse, and here he doesn't disappoint... [however], despite the frivolity supposed by the book's title, and Kennedy's often employed humor, many of the poems are more interested in death and the loss or stoppage of time... in what is one of the best poems written about September 11th, Kennedy brings both his meditation on death and his breath of new life together.

— Jason Gray

Smartish Pace

The poetry is mordant, funny, and even sometimes rather frightening; the poet, so much in control of his formal means.

— Emily Grosholz

Hudson Review

New England's master of light verse returns to familiarly sardonic territory in this, his seventh collection, which mixes dry wit and restrained verse-narrative with poems on surprisingly serious subjects. Among the latter: a mentally ill failed opera singer who roams a New Jersey town; the "crappy days" of 1950s patriarchy (and the aging men who often look back to them); and a "Ballad of [Constance] Fenimore Woolson and Henry James," describing the 19th century writers' Platonic romance (which James encouraged, then rejected) in the all-American rhythms of "Frankie and Johnny." Kennedy even closes the sometimes-somber volume with a clipped and saddened poem about September 11 (entitled "Sept. 12, 2002"). Devotees of the feuilletons and commentaries from which Kennedy made his name will certainly appreciate the volume's "Invocation," in which "sweet Meter" and "strict-lipped Stanza" "confine jubilation/ To tolerable order"; meter and stanza also guide Kennedy's tribute to Allen Ginsberg, in many ways Kennedy's polar opposite, whose "Glee and sweetness, freaky light" give the volume its name. Though less original (and less often laugh-out-loud funny) than its clear precedents in the midcentury poetry of George Starbuck or John Updike, Kennedy's work remains cultured, likable and witty. (Dec.) Forecast: Despite a shelf of awards for his own poetry (the Lamont Prize for 1961's Nude Descending a Staircase, the Los Angeles Times Prize for 1985's Cross Ties) Kennedy's reputation still rests on his textbooks, including An Introduction to Poetry, co-written with new NEA president Dana Gioia. Kennedy's associations with New Formalism in general, and Gioia in particular, should bring in seasoned admirers. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly