Dog Language by Twichell, Chase(September 1, 2005) Paperback

by Chase Twichell

Over the past 25 years, Twichell's reputation and reach has broadened with each new book. She is a poet whose books are anticipated and consistently receive stellar national review "A major voice in contemporary poetry."- Publishers Weekly "A poet with a dazzling and profound imagination."- Library Journal "An extraordinary poet whose lyrics plumb great intellectual and emotional depths."- The Miami Herald "There is a . . . Zen-like lucidity to [Twichell's] poetry."- The Washington Post Dog Language addresses the Zen question "What is the self?" in the modern age, where individual identity is questioned, medicated, and revised. Chase Twichell's tightly drawn poems move through the stages of human development and capture the complex emotions and challenges of family and aging. Like the best of artists, Twichell is able to handle common themes and emotions without ever reducing them to cliche or sentiment. She reminds us of "The Rules" she uses in her "Tell the truth. No decoration. Remember death." In one of the most poignant sections of Dog Language , she writes of her father's death and asks what, if anything, survives From Dog Biscuits After my father's cremation,my sisters and I agreedto bury him privatelywhen the ground thawed.One will plant a flowering tree,one see to the stone and its cutting,one call the grave-digger and the town clerk.It'll be just us, the daughters,presiding over ashes that could beany mammal's, or those of any lovedispersible by wind. Chase Twichell is the author of six books of poems and a book of translations and is the co-author of the best-selling guidebook The Practice of Poetry . She taught for several years at Princeton University before starting Ausable Press, a publisher dedicated to contemporary literature. She lives with her husband, the novelist Russell Banks, in the Adirondacks.

Genres: Poetry

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kind of luke-warm on this collection — but would give 4 stars to the 4th section, "Hail and Farewell." So many poems there that I could easily relate to, that spoke for me. And I love the concept, title, and recurrence of "dog language."

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Mary Oliver and Kim Addonizio workshopped a collection together.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year I have determined to read a book of poetry each month. This collection was a good beginning. Moving verses, poignant phrases add up to enjoyable reading.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chase Twichell is a poet I just keep returning to. A lot of people dismiss the poetry as sentimental, or just not "poetic" but there's something so tender and heartbreaking about her poems. It's something that I quite enjoy and deeply influences my own writing. I love her poetry.