Controvertibles by Quan Barry
Controvertibles features more of the refined brilliance and delicate lyricism of this poet, cast in a more meditative mode. Throughout, she examines cultural objects by lifting them out of their usual settings and repositioning them in front of new, disparate backdrops. Doug Flutie's famous Hail Mary pass and Rutger Hauer's role in Blade Runner are contextualized within the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Bob Beamon's world-record-setting long jump in the 1968 Olympics is slowed down and examined in the style of The Matrix's revolutionary bullet time. Samantha Smith, Richard Nixon, the Shroud of Turin, Igor Stravinsky, the largo from Handel's Xerxes, the resurrection of Lazarus, and the groundbreaking 1984 Apple Computer Super Bowl commercial are among the many disparate people and objects Barry uses to explore the multifaceted nature of existence.
Poetry's mission, its pleasure, has always been transformativeThings become other things and, as witnesses to this feat, we are turned more fully into ourselves. In Controvertibles Quan Barry intensifies with great pleasure, and updates with great intelligence, this basic poetic formula.... This revivifying young poet writes with precision, originality, and fabulous lyrical skill. - David Baker
Quan Barry is the author of two previous poetry collections: Asylum and Controvertibles. She is professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she directs the MFA program in creative writing.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780822958604 |
| ISBN 10 | 0822958600 |
| Title | Controvertibles |
| Author | Quan Barry |
| Series | Pitt Poetry Series |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh Press |
| Year published | 2004-09-26 |
| Number of pages | 72 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |