Backsass: Poems

by Fred Chappell

This collection of humorous and satiric verse takes its title from that thoroughly southern term meaning “irreverent retort,” “ironic remark,” or “scoffing observation.” The ancient Roman poet Juvenal noted that his world made it hard not to write satire. Fred Chappell, finding his contemporary era analogous to that of imperial Rome, has in Backsass given in to the impulse for invective and mockery. Whether addressing the political, the poetical, or the practical, Chappell brandishes his lexical sword, ribbing our shortcomings, offering tonic advice, and occasionally shedding a tear for our fallen ideals. Some poetry is fine wine. Backsass is the driest of martinis.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Fred Davis Chappell retired after 40 years as an English professor at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Poet Laureate of North Carolina from 1997-2002. He attended Duke University.

His 1968 novel Dagon, which was named the Best Foreign Book of the Year by the Academie Française, is a recasting of a Cthulhu Mythos horror story as a psychologically realistic Southern Gothic.

His literary awards include the Prix de Meilleur des Livres Etrangers, the Bollingen Prize, and the T. S. Eliot Prize.

Reviews

[Timothy Juhl · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first time reading Chappell, despite his NC roots and the time I spent living in the state. His name was familiar among the poets I hung out with, and I suppose that's how it came to be that I have three volumes of his poetry in my collection.

This slim edition was good. For the most part. Chappell is deft with alliteration, and employs lists of words frequently in his poetry, two things I love to see in verse. Chappell is also very witty at times, delivering an end line with just enough sarcasm or vague innuendo to make the reader smile.

He keeps his poems short, mostly, and the two long poems (each several pages long) are rhymed, which surprisingly makes them much more enjoyable to read for someone like me who loathes poems that go on and on until you've forgotten how the poem even started.

My only real criticism of these poems would be that the last few poems (maybe 9 of them) all seemed to feel repetitive of earlier poems. Certainly they weren't, but I think it's Chappell's style that lent them a sameness, other than those listed words in a few poems, visually all the poems looked identical in stanzas and line-length (and I know that they weren't exactly the same, but my eyes began to grow tired of the landscape, like driving through Nebraska).

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars ("it was okay") really isn't so bad, not as bad as it looks.

This was okay, for me, who just isn't feeling too sassy nor back. Fred's answering machine is a gem, as are his first lines, which almost always hit the right note. (Title: I Suppose War is Okay, First line: "for those who like that sort of thing")

I kept thinking Fred might be Ogden Nash's great-grand-nephew and Billy Collins's stand-up comic cousin and Simon Rich's older brother. Fine family.

[Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are the first poems by Chappell that I've read although I have been very impressed by his prose. I like his poetry but it doesn't seem to be very profound on insightful, however I would read another book of his as soon as possible.

[Suzanne Costner · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ IT!!!!

[Barb Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book of satiric and humerous poems .....some are political, some pratical and some just silly. A good read for poets and smartalecks.

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some funny poems in this collection; I found the light tone refreshing and enjoyed the satire and clever word usage.