From Now On: New and Selected Poems, 1970-2015

by Clarence Major

Clarence Major is a consummate artist whose work in poetry, fiction, and painting has been widely recognized. He has been part of twenty-eight group exhibitions, has had fifteen one-man shows, and has published fourteen collections of poetry and nine works of fiction. Major’s works―and this collection in particular―are distinguished by his poetic sociability and his unblinking but generous and affectionate portraiture.

In From Now On , a retrospective of poems from the 1950s to the present―including selections from each of Major’s previous books of poetry as well as a generous selection of new poems―Major creates a vivid gallery of nimbly drawn characters. Here he establishes a voice that is singular and musical, one that draws witty, moving, and empathetic portraits of African American urban and country dwellers. Ultimately, this collection maintains Major’s intimate, conversational poetry while simultaneously becoming more eclectic, multicultural, and cosmopolitan. Major’s poetry is affable, but it suggests an insistence that we can connect with history and social change through the dynamic lives of the people we encounter daily.

Genres: Poetry

360 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Currently a professor of twentieth century American literature at the University of California at Davis, Clarence Major is a poet, painter and novelist who was born in Atlanta and grew up in Chicago.
Clarence Major was a finalist for the National Book Awards (1999). He is recipient of many awards, among them, a National Council on The Arts Award (1970), a Fulbright (1981-1983), a Western States Book Award (1986) and two Pushcart prizes--one for poetry, one for fiction. Major is a contributor to many periodicals and anthologies in the USA, Europe, South America and Africa. He has served as judge for The National Book Awards, the PEN-Faulkner Award and twice for the National Endowment for The Arts. Major has traveled extensively and lived in various parts of the United States and for extended periods in France and Italy. He has lectured and read his work in dozens of U. S. universities as well as in England, France, Liberia, West Germany, Ghana, and Italy.

Reviews

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Now On: New and Selected Poems, 1970-2015 by Clarence Major is a collection of the poet's work over the last four decades. Major has traveled extensively and lived in various parts of the United States and for extended periods in France and Italy. He has lectured and read his work in dozens of US universities as well as in England, France, Liberia, West Germany, Ghana, and Italy. Clarence Major is also currently a professor of twentieth-century American literature at the University of California at Davis.

One of the great things about poetry collections is that even if some, or many, of the poems do not strike your fancy, it is still worthwhile reading. Collections, too, offer the reader a variety over decades of work. If one period of the poet's work doesn't appeal to the reader another period likely will. With this collection, I immediately latched on to the poem "Air." It is eleven lines of unstructured poetry without a single item of punctuation. The only capital letter is at the start of the poem. It is up to the reader to find the rhythm the poem by the words alone. The early works carry a refreshing beat.

Towards the middle of the collection, Major moves to detailed conversational poems. They are prose poetry with very detailed observations. Major describes places he has been, historical events, and people. The rhythm gives way to building a picture with words. There is a deep connection with the subject, but not the structure of traditional poetry. However, the detail is meticulous. It is not my style of poetry, but I can see the quality of the writing.

Near the end of the collection, I find myself enjoying the poems as I did in the beginning. "From Parking Lots" (1992) is a rather long free form poem about America that hit home for me. Various cultures and America's automobile-centric style of life is portrayed in a cross country view, from Philadelphia to San Diego, tinged with murder. It read to me, much like a rambling Kerouac work. It also brought to mind an unlikely comparison of Jim Morrison's view of America and California. This is probably my favorite of the material presented perhaps because of the reminders of my travels and the writer and a musician decades before. Another long poem but of a different tone is "The Slave trade: View from the Middle Passage" is told by Mfu, who was sold into slavery by his chief for a shaving brush.

The collection closes with his most recent works. Nearing his eighth decade, the poet seem to be more reflective and more personal. The style has matured and has the feeling of good poetry. This is the type of poetry that one would expect from an accomplished poet. Although sections of this collection are not my idea of poetry, I do recognize and appreciate the work and skill presented in the works. That is the wonderful thing about poetry. We, the readers, can pick and chose what we like and what we read. Unlike a novel, we are not at a loss for picking and choosing.

[R.l. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection from Clarence Major. Covering a period of 45 years, the poems differ in mood and theme, but they all share a beautiful and sometimes surprising use of language and form, which is what I like in poetry. I really nice collection.
*I received this book free through the Goodreads Giveaways and the opinions in this review are my own.