God

by Debora Greger

God has retired to Florida, like everyone else. He can't sleep. He watches TV. In the long poem that opens Debora Greger's sixth book, God , he has retreated to the swamps, where, in the lush particulars of the subtropics, a singular moral world is discovered. Wherever Greger is, she has a traveler's eye; her poetry finds the past beneath the present-where the "Eden of Florida," as the last poem ironically calls it, is an Eden with alligators. This is the work of a powerful, meditative poet, whose God is deceptively quiet, perfectly timed, and seriously amused.

Genres: Poetry

97 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

Debora Greger (b. 1949) is an American poet and visual artist.

Greger was raised in Richland, Washington. She attended the University of Washington and then the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Greger then went on to hold fellowships at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She was professor of English and creative writing at the University of Florida until retiring. Greger now works as Poet-in-Residence at the Harn Museum of Art.

Greger has published numerous books of poetry, including Men, Women, and Ghosts (2008), and her work has been included in issues of Best American Poetry . As a reviewer for Publishers Weekly observed, Greger “rarely rejoices, though she can surely console; her pruned-back, autumnal sensibility and her balanced lines suit the scenes she portrays.” Her poetry has been included in six volumes of The Best American Poetry and she has exhibited her artwork at several galleries and museums across the country. She also has a poem on Poetry 180 in number 42. Her work appeared in Paris Review, The Nation, Poetry, and The New Criterion.

Debora Greger lives in Gainesville, Florida and Cambridge, England with her life-partner, the poet and critic, William Logan.

Reviews

[Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise for the book is fascinating. I would love to see a poem of God, about God, making God into a peninsula called Florida, a God populated by subdivisions and sprinkler systems. But this is just a God interested in cleverness, followed by sections about England. And honestly I don't see a very strong connection.

[D. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having trained under Professor Gregor her knack of using Metaphor and simile are way beyond most poets. I find every poem a new discovery and a new story. One of the best.

[Konstantin R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

[rating = B-]

I originally picked this out as a present for a church friend, but after reading some of the poems, I decided to keep it...maybe I"ll lend it to them now that I've finished it. Anyway, I'd never heard of Greger (though I think the majority of poets are rather unheard of nowadays, unfortunately).

The first section of this collection is wonderful. It weaves in biblical imagery and references without sounding preachy; it's really trying to subvert these themes we hear thrown about in a church setting. Often funny, there is a great irreverence going on.

The latter poems aren't as easy to decipher, or perhaps they just don't balance the religiosity as well as the previous ones and thus seem deflated or subpar. In all, this was a good read, especially for those trying to find a book that isn't taking religion too seriously and can actually have a laugh about it, and bring it into the modern world.

[Niño Manaog Saavedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

God incarnate.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart and funny and some left me stunned (in the best possible way).