Citizen

by Aaron Shurin

"Aaron Shurin writes piercingly lovely poetry that‘s multidimensional and insists on being read aloud, though its eloquence is equally powerful on the page without sound, with that enclosed, attentive ear that can turn poetry into meditation...Shurin’s name has been linked with masters like Jorie Graham and Michael Palmer. But his songs have a grace that’s his alone."—The Rumpus

Widely acclaimed for his lyrical language and innovative verse, Aaron Shurin brings the prose poem into new richness and complexity in Citizen. Through shape-shifting sentences and sensuous imagery he explores the nuances of civic and domestic life, the twists and turns of desire, and the mysterious shimmer of objects. Traveling across the borders of cities and the boundaries of form, he crafts a dazzling vision of daily life as a citizen of the imagination.

Aaron Shurin is the author of over ten books, most recently King of Shadows, a collection of personal essays. He lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2011

About the author

AARON SHURIN is the author of fifteen books and chapbooks, including the poetry collections Involuntary Lyrics (Omnidawn, 2005), The Paradise of Forms (Talisman House, 1999), a Publishers Weekly Best Book and, the prose collection, Unbound: A Book of AIDS (Sun & Moon, 1997). His work has appeared in over twenty national and international anthologies, most recently Nuova Poesia Americana Contemporana (Italy: Oscar Mondadori, 2006). Shurin's honors include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Arts Commision, and the Gerbode Foundation. He is Associate Professor and Director of the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco. "

Reviews

[City Lights Booksellers & Publishers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Aaron Shurin writes piercingly lovely poetry that's multidimensional and insists on being read aloud, though its eloquence is equally powerful on the page without sound, with that enclosed, attentive ear that can turn poetry into meditation... Shurin's name has been linked with masters like Jorie Graham and Michael Palmer. But his songs have a grace that's his alone." —Barbara Berman, The Rumpus

"Citizen's lyrics are a fine mixture of the crisp and the luxurious if such a combination is possible. With only two or three exceptions, no poem is more than a page long. Things go quickly. The poet gets in, does his work, and gets out. However within that space is a carnival of language, and the reader loves the short wild ride, in part because Shurin revels in the glory of words. He knows they can take us places and entertain, and he allows them to (read: makes them) do both... the whole book, is an embrace of the fantastic." —Dean Rader, The Huffington Post

"In Citizen, Shurin seamlessly tackles many aspects of life. Often in a single poem he weaves themes of love, class, time, poetry, and even good cheese while he simultaneously unravels them with concocted flashes of specificity... Shurin conjures a Steinian grammar and Shakespearean delicacy, but applies his unique spontaneity and logic to create a voice that is solely his." —Maggie Heaps, Eleven Eleven Literary Journal

[Stacie Cregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in March through Goodreads First Reads.

I really enjoyed this volume of poetry. Each poem is like a little still-life; something mundane and ordinary, such as sweating, sunrise, and cityscapes, and describes it in lyrical, exquisite, sometimes harshly detailed verse. Words are drawn together expertly by the author, making each line something to be read slowly, to be savored, followed by clear, gorgeous imagery.

My favorite poem is one called Compass, found about halfway through the book, detailing a man's journey down the sidewalk, clutching a loaf of bread and a bouquet of carnations, wandering through the maze of the city. At least, that's how I interpret it. I get mental pictures of the cobblestones wobbling beneath worn shoes, the flowers beginning to droop in the outdoor heat, the man glancing up at the windows of buildings as he walks by. Every poem affected me this way, invoking short stories and films in my mind, playing with my imagination.

All in all, a very satisfying experience.

[Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some wonderful imagery and clever turns of phrase get bogged down by complex atonality and what often seems like random word generation.