Area Code 212: Poems

by Frederick Seidel

Area Code 212 is the journey's end in ice and flames of Seidel's brilliant Cosmos Poems trilogy. Reversing the order and outlook of Dante's Divine Comedy , Seidel's three-book series begins in the heavens (with The Cosmos Poems ) and then descends steeply--through the Purgatory of Life on Earth , the second volume--to at last arrive at home, in Manhattan, with its famous area code.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2002

Reviews

[Stephen Ramsek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few bangers in here but it needed some more variety and a little less irreverence. It was just hard to take seriously after a point

[Rauan · Rating 5 out of 5]

best american poet alive?

[Stuart Woodhams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good poems, to read this last volume first in the 21st century is to discern what the New Yorker meant when they said Siedel was the poet the 20th century deserved, and funny too

[Jared Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been 4 months & I don't stop reading this.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read Seidel's poems is evisceration. Wild supernovas explode, die and become angels riding red Ducatis racing down rivers of blood. Yes, exactly like that. Incredible. And sheer terror.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why write a poem?
There isn't any rain in hell
So why keep opening an umbrella?
This was the song he found himself singing.