Stephen Dunn explore le quotidien et l'ordinaire, examinant les moments communs avec une profondeur et une introspection inattendues. Sa poésie trouve souvent beauté et signification dans le banal et dans l'expérience humaine universelle. Le style de Dunn se caractérise par la clarté, la franchise et une observation perspicace de la nature humaine. Son œuvre invite les lecteurs à contempler la vie, l'amour et la mortalité.
The collection showcases the development of a major award-winning poet, highlighting a journey that confronts profound questions of consciousness and existence. Stephen Dunn's work skillfully balances the exploration of life's significant themes with an appreciation for the everyday, creating a thought-provoking and accessible body of poetry.
Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Dunn examines the difficulties of telling the truth, and the fictions with which we choose to live.
Exploring the complexities of modern America, this collection reveals a poet's dual perspective on moral, aesthetic, and erotic contradictions. Stephen Dunn's insightful observations delve into the nuances of daily life, reflecting on the tightening grip of societal expectations. His work showcases a journey toward a nuanced understanding of self and society, characterized by a commitment to confronting paradoxes with clarity and depth.
Exploring themes of betrayal, loss, and the complexities of love, this collection delves into the multifaceted nature of beauty, often revealed through unexpected and tragic circumstances. The title poem captures these contrasts, reflecting on how beauty can provoke deeper contemplation amidst sorrow. Dunn's poignant voice guides readers through personal experiences, emphasizing the importance of articulating emotions and experiences at pivotal moments in life. This work invites a profound engagement with the nuances of existence and the search for meaning in both joy and pain.
Exploring themes such as hypocrisy, money, and generosity, the book features a series of interconnected prose pieces that resemble jazz improvisations. Each paragraph stands alone yet relates to others, offering insights and meditations on various subjects. Dunn's unique perspective redefines words and concepts, transforming them into personal reflections rather than mere definitions. The collection consists of ninety miniatures, showcasing his signature wisdom and inventive language, establishing a new genre that pays homage to literary influences while remaining distinctly his own.
Exploring the unsaid and elusive aspects of life, Stephen Dunn's fourteenth collection showcases his fearless and beautiful language. Renowned for his insightful poetry, Dunn delves into profound themes, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of existence.
The collection explores the modern-day struggles of Sisyphus, representing the contemporary Everyman, as he navigates life in twenty-first-century America. Through a blend of sharp and tender language, Dunn examines the everyday challenges faced by this relatable character, delving into themes of ambivalence and the nature of choice. The poetry ultimately suggests that fate can be altered through effort or chance, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit amidst life's burdens.
“[Stephen Dunn] has taken his place among our major, indispensable poets.”—Miami Herald In his seventeenth collection of poetry, Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Dunn confronts the lines we fight against and the ones we draw for ourselves. Lines of Defense poignantly captures the absurdities of modern life, expectations derailed, the lived life juxtaposed to the imagined life, and the defenses we don to make do. The poems in Lines of Defense are wry and elegiac, precisely observed and wide-reaching. As with the best of Dunn’s work, they take stock of the quotidian aspects of life, of the essential comedy of getting through the day: finding a lost cat; not being invited to a party; taking a granddaughter to a carnival. The lines of defense are the lines of the verse itself, as poetry forms a stronghold against mortality. This essential volume showcases a poet writing at the height of his powers. From “Before We Leave”: Where are we going? It’s not an issue of here or there. And if you ever feel you can’t take another step, imagine how you might feel to arrive, if not wiser, a little more aware how to inhabit the middle ground between misery and joy.
A radiant celebration of Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Stephen Dunn’s enduring oeuvre