A Flight to Elsewhere

by Samuel Hazo

In powerful and wide-ranging poems, Samuel Hazo speaks of his love for family and his roots in the Middle East.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2005

About the author

Samuel Hazo is the director of the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh, where he is also McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University. His books include The Rest Is Prose, As They Sail, Stills, and This Part of the World, the latter two published by Syracuse University Press. His translations include Nadia Tueni’s Lebanon: Twenty Poems for One Love

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hazo is an emeritus professor at Duquesne, and perhaps the most gracious man I've ever met. As a whole, I found this collection less readable than I'd expected. I found the examination of some thematic elements to be a bit repetitive. There are, however, a few gems that stick with me. My favorite is "The Power of Less" in which he disparages the "expanders" who rant and praises the power of a few carefully chosen words, which like "sunrays--focused through a magnifying glass into a single, burning beam--can re-invent the world." I'll leave it at that.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Please don't make me return this book," I said to my librarian self. "Please. I love it more than the person who has it on hold. I know I have renewed it 5 times. But it is unavailable from any of our distributors and it is $55 on Amazon." My librarian self rips the volume from my hands and carries it to the table from which it will be sent to another library. And from my desk across the room I will see it sitting there all day and display incredible discipline by not picking it up. Where has this poet been all my life? Wait! What if someone steals this book and I can never have it again???????????

[James Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read, here are some favourites, The Wreck, The Wounds of Honor, Welcome to New York, Everything.
There are some gems in this book.
Recommended for those who enjoy contemporary American prose.