Poems in PN Review 205

I have five poems in PN Review 205. Also, in the issue, poems by Sinéad Morrissey, Tara Bergin, Vénus Khoury-Ghata, David C. Ward, Alex Wylie and others. Get a copy! Subscribe!

I am particularly taken by Tara Bergin's poem "Looking at Lucy's Painting of the Thames at Low Tide Without Lucy Present." Its every move is a surprise, but all are united by the opinionated, offhand voice. The work of Simon Jarvis is new to me. His three short poems are sharp and evocative, especially the perfect "Colloquium."

Of the reviews, I enjoy David C. Ward's take-down of William Logan's selected early poems Deception Island. Who but Logan would allow himself to be blurbed as "the most hated man in American poetry"? I agree with Sasha Dugdale's estimation of Tiina Aleman's translation of Doris Kareva (conscientious but ultimately unsuccessful), and has bought Luljeta Lleshanaku's Haywire on the strength of Dugdale's strong recommendation.

In the editorial, Michael Schmidt stands up for Modernism and its progeny against the leveling tendencies of John Carey and the multicultural correctness of Fiona Sampson.

Comments

Squid Kid said…
I discovered a new favorite poet in you. Cyril Wong is a dear friend of mine and through him, I keep discovering wonderful poets from Singapore. I am so in love with your country now. I love your poems and I am now in the process of reading everything I can find about you. I will be getting your books soon! =P I am from the Philippines by the way, and I'm an indie gay author. What's your email sir? I wanna connect with you.
7:46 AM
Jee Leong said…
Thanks for reading the blog, and the poetry. I have connected with you on Goodreads. Nice to meet you electronically.
8:35 PM
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