Sentences

by Robert Grenier

Genres: Poetry

350 pages

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Aislinn Evans]

i need to read it again. i guess i need to re-read it... ummm... thousands of times? to get the complete picture. which is very cool. i've been listening to this podcast about game studies and cybertext and i have slowly forming thoughts about connections between this poem and those ideas (but i understand neither yet).

i love this but i'm also mad it exists because i've been making similar things and i had no idea this existed. but now i do! and that's a wonderful thing, actually. i'm going to steal the code. i want to get my hands on a physical version... the tactility.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one is wacky af. in printed form it is a box of notecards. it can be read in any order. it is a performance art piece of poetry. but also it is a point of tension between prompts from an author and the characters in his life that prompted him to write them down.

[William Mego · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published in 1978, this work is a splendid example of minimalism and the phenomenon of the Art Book. Another reviewer has done a great review of the book, with pictures so you can get a feeling for the physical space the book occupies, which is notable. See it here: http://dbqp.blogspot.com/2009/08/read...

I shall restrain my review to the poetry itself, which I'll be the first to admit is not the complete idea of the work, so take this as you will. I'm saying here, and fully admitting, that by speaking only of the words, I'm not reviewing the book in it's complete form or intention. That said...

I'm sure in 1978 that deconstructed narrative like this was less common. Sadly today it's not. This is better than the others, but it's awfully hard at times to form a connection with the reader. These hundreds of fragments paint a story where the reader is invited/forced to fill in the blanks, a non-uncommon technique of minimalism. However I personally must lack the imagination required (or I'd like to think, a background of experience enough in common with the creator) to fully do so, since the effect often times was of catching a cell phone conversation with many missing gaps. Just wasn't the flavor I loved. Some WILL adore this, no question. I'm just not one of them.

[Halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

One morning, years ago, my mom was staying at my house and woke before my girlfriend and I could drag our asses out of bed. When we finally arose, she had opened up the box that contains this book - a few hundred unbound cards with sentence fragments on them -- and was two thirds of the way through it. She announced excitedly that it is, in fact, a story -- involving a family's trip to the beach -- she enumerated several of the characters involved...
I bought this with student loan money when I was 19 and, for sure, it has influenced my thought and writing as much as any book out there. A secret key to the gate between language and life, for those who search for such. Highly recommended.

[Geof Huth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most essential book to read of Grenier's oeuvre but almost impossible to read in its original form. I've read the book many times over the past few years, and I'm always surprised by what I discover in this rethinking of minimalism. Full review here: http://dbqp.blogspot.com/2009/08/read...

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another ongoing influence.

[Fariba Aadelvand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome, simple reference book. Sentences and what they are composed of. Great for students to use.

[Jared Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm Ronald McDonald


and it's a seaside town