Saving Lives: Poems

by Albert Goldbarth

Albert Goldbarth "just may be the American poet of his generation for the ages," says Judith Kitchen in a recent feature on him in the Georgia Review. "Often humorous but always serious, Goldbarth combines erudite research, pop-culture fanaticism, and personal anecdote in ways that make his writings among the most stylisti­cally recognizable in the literary world." This new volume, Saving Lives, both consolidates and extends his passions and their presentations.

The poems range from a few tight, resonant lines to works of long story­telling drive, from sequences that encompass the most flexible of free verse to an homage to the sestina. Some center on familiar cultural icons (Rembrandt, Houdini, Barnum, the Hardy Boys), others on little-known fringe players in subculture's oddest unlit corners, and yet others on family histories. But always they examine an essential the ways we try to
"save lives"—whether through a trans­planted lung, the archeological rem­nant, the conserved book.

As ever, Goldbarth dazzles, displaying an energetic mind eager to share his arcane learning, oddball musings, and observations of intimate moments, joys, and despairs. A zany wit and a generous sense of humanity reign equally. Saving Lives only enhances this writer's grand signature tradition.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2001

About the author

Albert Goldbarth is an American poet born January 31, 1948 in Chicago. He is known for his prolific production, his gregarious tone, his eclectic interests and his distinctive 'talky' style. He has been a Guggenheim fellow and won the National Book Critics Circle award in 1991 and 2001, the only poet to receive the honor two times. He also won the Mark Twain Award for Humorous Poetry, awarded by the Poetry Foundation, in 2008.

Goldbarth received his BA from the University of Illinois in 1969 and his MFA from the University of Iowa in 1971. He is currently distinguished professor of Humanities at Wichita State University, and he teaches in the Low-Residency MFA program in Creative Writing at Converse College.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry is by definition built on the unexpected analogy, the startling metaphor, but Goldbarth stretches his conceits even further than most, and with an impressively erudite and wide-ranging parade of references: Houdini touring Russia, escaped circus animals, migrating hummingbirds, transplant studies, saints of furniture, secrets of Renoir paintings, McDonalds, botany, hygrometers... And also the deeply personal, stories of his dying mother, his persecuted relatives, his marriage, his fiftieth birthday. Odd and wandering but accomplished and stunning, too.

My favorites of the collection:
"The Geese"
"Canceling Out"
"Invisible"
"Canyon, Gorge, Arroyo"
"A Cup"
"Her Literal One"

[Mike Good · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible rendering of words