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Angels of Flesh, Angels of Silence
Angels of Flesh, Angels of Silence , Lorna Crozier’s seventh book of poetry, reinforces her stature as one of the most prolific and respected contemporary poets of our time. Her poems are witty, unassuming, yet intimate and provocative. Through her extraordinary vision, Crozier writes into existence a world that is both distinctively her own and instinctively familiar to all her readers. These are poems of mourning and celebration, of poignancy and good humour. And they demonstrate why Lorna Crozier’s work lays claim on both the head and the heart.
The poems in the section “Angles of Silence” won first prize for poetry in the CBC Radio Literature Competition for 1987-88, and were broadcast on “State of the Arts.” The Chilean poems were aired on “State of the Arts” as part of a radio script written with Pat Lane, which won the Best Program Award at the National Radio Awards, 1988. “Fear of Snakes” won second prize in Prism International ’s poetry competition.
The poems in the section “Angles of Silence” won first prize for poetry in the CBC Radio Literature Competition for 1987-88, and were broadcast on “State of the Arts.” The Chilean poems were aired on “State of the Arts” as part of a radio script written with Pat Lane, which won the Best Program Award at the National Radio Awards, 1988. “Fear of Snakes” won second prize in Prism International ’s poetry competition.
157 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 1988
14 people want to read
About the author
Lorna Crozier
56 books86 followersLorna Crozier was born in 1948 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. As a child growing up in a prairie community where the local heroes were hockey players and curlers, she “never once thought of being a writer.” After university, Lorna went on to teach high school English and work as a guidance counsellor. During these years, Lorna published her first poem in Grain magazine, a publication that turned her life toward writing. Her first collection Inside in the Sky was published in 1976. Since then, she has authored 14 books of poetry, including The Garden Going on Without Us, Angels of Flesh, Angels of Silence, Inventing the Hawk, winner of the 1992 Governor-General’s Award, Everything Arrives at the Light, Apocrypha of Light, What the Living Won’t Let Go, and most recently Whetstone. Whether Lorna is writing about angels, aging, or Louis Armstrong’s trout sandwich, she continues to engage readers and writers across Canada and the world with her grace, wisdom and wit. She is, as Margaret Laurence wrote, “a poet to be grateful for.”
Since the beginning of her writing career, Lorna has been known for her inspired teaching and mentoring of other poets. In 1980 Lorna was the writer-in-residence at the Cypress Hills Community College in Swift Current; in 1983, at the Regina Public Library; and in 1989 at the University of Toronto. She has held short-term residencies at the Universities of Toronto and Lethbridge and at Douglas College. Presently she lives near Victoria, where she teaches and serves as Chair in the Writing Department at the University.
Beyond making poems, Lorna has also edited two non-fiction collections – Desire in Seven Voices and Addiction: Notes from the Belly of the Beast. Together with her husband and fellow poet Patrick Lane, she edited the 1994 landmark collection Breathing Fire: Canada’s New Poets; in 2004, they co-edited Breathing Fire 2, once again introducing over thirty new writers to the Canadian literary world.
Her poems continue to be widely anthologized, appearing in 15 Canadian Poets X 3, 20th Century Poetry and Poetics, Poetry International and most recently in Open Field: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Poets, a collection designed for American readers.
Her reputation as a generous and inspiring artist extends from her passion for the craft of poetry to her teaching and through to her involvement in various social causes. In addition to leading poetry workshops across the globe, Lorna has given benefit readings for numerous organizations such as the SPCA, the BC Land Conservancy, the Victoria READ Society, and PEERS, a group committed to helping prostitutes get off the street. She has been a frequent guest on CBC radio where she once worked as a reviewer and arts show host. Wherever she reads she raises the profile and reputation of poetry.
Since the beginning of her writing career, Lorna has been known for her inspired teaching and mentoring of other poets. In 1980 Lorna was the writer-in-residence at the Cypress Hills Community College in Swift Current; in 1983, at the Regina Public Library; and in 1989 at the University of Toronto. She has held short-term residencies at the Universities of Toronto and Lethbridge and at Douglas College. Presently she lives near Victoria, where she teaches and serves as Chair in the Writing Department at the University.
Beyond making poems, Lorna has also edited two non-fiction collections – Desire in Seven Voices and Addiction: Notes from the Belly of the Beast. Together with her husband and fellow poet Patrick Lane, she edited the 1994 landmark collection Breathing Fire: Canada’s New Poets; in 2004, they co-edited Breathing Fire 2, once again introducing over thirty new writers to the Canadian literary world.
Her poems continue to be widely anthologized, appearing in 15 Canadian Poets X 3, 20th Century Poetry and Poetics, Poetry International and most recently in Open Field: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Poets, a collection designed for American readers.
Her reputation as a generous and inspiring artist extends from her passion for the craft of poetry to her teaching and through to her involvement in various social causes. In addition to leading poetry workshops across the globe, Lorna has given benefit readings for numerous organizations such as the SPCA, the BC Land Conservancy, the Victoria READ Society, and PEERS, a group committed to helping prostitutes get off the street. She has been a frequent guest on CBC radio where she once worked as a reviewer and arts show host. Wherever she reads she raises the profile and reputation of poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2023
About halfway through Angels of Flesh, Angels of Silence, it occurred to me that Lorna Crozier is a latter-day metaphysical poet. How else to describe someone who could write these lines: "The spider in the heart / of the rose / is a ventriloquist."? This seventh book of hers was published in 1988 and is divided into sections that reflect the infinite breadth of Crozier's imagination, matched by a craft that was already well honed. Childhood Landscapes encompasses poems reflect happiness, fear and darkness. "Fear of Snakes" took me right back to my childhood. The title poem in Angels of Silence is reminiscent of her 17th-century metaphysical forebears, as the poet muses on the shapes an angel might take. Most fun of all are The Penis Poems, leading off with "Overture": "O penis, / apostrophe of lust / come out of the cage / where you lie sleeping."
October 19, 2017
Lorna Crozier has become one of the poets I've said, "How had I not known her work before?" Part of it is, of course, that she's Canadian, but the fact is the best of these poems are good--sensual, imagisitc spiritual, engaging, linguisticaly alive--compelling me to read on. It's easy to see how it could win the Governor General's Award. The book gets a little too long, unfortunately, with a few pieces feeling more ike filler. A terrific read by one of Canada's finest poets.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews