Fossil Sky

by David Hinton

An epic poem in the form of a lyrical map, Fossil Sky is a remarkable creation of originality and beauty. Composed on a single large sheet, it liberates poetry from the conventions of page and book. Fossil Sky distills a year of walks taken near the poet’s home, tracing the paths a mind takes through landscape, history, and ideation. The poem’s formal daring is combined with an inviting and direct personal voice, an inner voice adrift—broken up by landscape, space, time and silence.

David Hinton’s many translations of ancient Chinese poetry have earned wide acclaim for creating compelling contemporary poetry. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as numerous fellowships from the NEA and the NEH.

Genres: Poetry

1 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

David Hinton has published numerous books of poetry and essays, and many translations of ancient Chinese poetry and philosophy—all informed by an abiding interest in deep ecological thinking. This widely-acclaimed work has earned Hinton a Guggenheim Fellowship, numerous fellowships from NEA and NEH, and both of the major awards given for poetry translation in the United States: the Landon Translation Award (Academy of American Poets) and the PEN American Translation Award. Most recently, Hinton received a lifetime achievement award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The coolest poem I've ever come across... Hinton takes on the task of recreating a landscape through laying out lines of poetry. The "book" unfolds into a map, taking the reader on an adventure through wandering paths where the story begins and ends wherever you choose. Can't say enough good things. Good for all ages.

[Kelsey Loudermilk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting piece of literature

[Holly Raymond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not physically equipped for this book, so I sort of gave up on the outskirts. If I had a nice big table, or a floor that wasn't covered in mice, maybe my reading experience of this thing would be different. Maybe my whole life would be different. Maybe I could read Catullus on a gold-plated yacht, bu I can't.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent rendering of language and the experience of walking. Built on an out-sized piece of paper, a roadmap through terrain, image of sky. Ecopoetry. A book like no other I have ever encountered.