John Ashbery stood as one of America's preeminent poets, renowned for a body of work characterized by playful intelligence, intricate structures, and ambiguous meanings that invite active reader engagement. His poetry frequently delves into themes of memory, identity, and the very nature of language. Ashbery's distinctive style, blending elements of modernism and postmodernism, left an indelible mark on American literature.
During his career John Ashbery has been hailed as the eminence grise of postmodernism, championed by W.H. Auden and has carried off every major literary prize. Drawn from the work he published up to 1984, this collection makes a wide range of this poet's writing available.
Works by the American expatriate artist are accompanied by discussions of his themes and technique
Featuring masterful translations, this vibrant collection showcases the work of one of today's finest poets. The selections highlight the poet's skill in capturing the essence and nuances of the original texts, offering readers a rich and immersive experience. Each piece reflects a deep understanding of language and emotion, making this collection a vital addition for lovers of poetry and translation alike.
From the early virtuosity of Some Trees and The Tennis Court Oath through the triumphs of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror to the brilliance of A Wave - each collection of John Ashbery's verse has broken new ground. Now, from the whole range of a lifetime's work, Ashbery has chosen his own selection of 138 poems, including short lyrics, haiku, prose poems, and many of his major long poems. Seeing these great works together in one volume, readers will be able to savor a distillation of John Ashbery's work and appreciate fully how remarkable is his achievement.
Gathers the work of four of the 'first generation' of New York poets: Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch and James Schuyler. This anthology provides introductions to the poets' work, and charts an exchange between experiment and the emergence of language poetry.
A capsule of the imaginative life of the individual, Some Trees is the 52nd volume of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Comparing him to T. S. Eliot, Stephanie Burt writes that Ashbery is “the last figure whom half of the English-language poets alive thought a great model, and the other half thought incomprehensible.” After the publication of Some Trees, selecting judge W. H. Auden famously confessed that he didn’t understand a word of it. Most reviews were negative. But in this first book of poems from one of the century’s most important poets, one finds the seeds of Ashbery’s oeuvre, including the influence of French surrealists—many of whom he translated—and abstract expressionism.
Collects five long, serial poems which the American master John Ashbery left unfinished.
John Ashberry won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. Ashberry reaffirms the poetic powers that have made him such an outstanding figure in contemporary literature. This new book continues his astonishing explorations of places where no one has ever been.
This book presents poetry by Ashbery (1927-2017) from his later collections alongside contemporaneous art writing. It also includes "playlists" featuring music from Ashbery's own collection, reflecting his love for music while writing. His poetry is often described as ekphrastic; however, instead of merely being inspired by art or music, Ashbery engages with the experience of seeing and the artistic strategies involved, offering new ways to contemplate both. Insights from his art writing provide keys to interpreting his poetry. The music he favored often includes contemporary classical works characterized by complex textures and disjunct phrases, mirroring the qualities found in his poetry. Ashbery's work plays with diverse poetic textures and sudden shifts, allowing readers to construct multiple narratives and meanings. He rarely presents linear stories or focuses solely on evocative descriptions. This exploration invites readers to see how poetry, art, and music illuminate and inform each other in Ashbery's work. In the introduction by Mónica de la Torre, she delves into the connection between these three muses and the ekphrastic experience of engaging with Ashbery's poetry.
A book of poems by the world's celebrated poet.