The Invention of the Zero

by Richard Kenney

Poems deal with mathematics, astronomy, mythology, physics, and the universe

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published August 24, 1993

About the author

Richard L. Kenney (born 1948) is a poet and professor of English. Kenney and his family live in Port Townsend, Washington.

He is the author of four books of poetry: The Evolution of the Flightless Bird, Orrery, The Invention Of The Zero, and The One-Strand River: Poems, 1994-2007.

After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1970, Kenney won a Reynolds Fellowship and studied Celtic lore in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. He teaches in the English department at the University of Washington and has published in many magazines and journals, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and The American Scholar.

Drawing from many great writers and thinkers throughout time, Kenney often includes references to them in his works. James Merrill influenced him the most, and, fittingly so, his third book, The Invention of the Zero, is dedicated to him. Other notable influences include W.B. Yeats, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Robert Lowell, and Philip Larkin.

Known for having an avalanching and original style, James Merrill best sums it up in his foreword to The Evolution of the Flightless Bird:

"The poetic wheels just spin and spin, getting nowhere fast. But Kenney--it's what one likes best about him--nearly always has an end in view, a story to tell."

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ambitious (and successful) as a book of poetry ought to be, both in its formal inventiveness, assuredness, and dexterity, and in the gravity and scope of its content.

[Fernando Duenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, mind-stretching read. Only advice: there is a sort of "guide" to the layout of the "epic poem" at the end. You may want to try getting through it once without it thoug.