Controlling Interests

by Charles Bernstein

Poetry. "In the poems of CONTROLLING INTERESTS Bernstein continually reveals his desire for the concomitance of the individual and the world, of all language and experience . This book is one of the most original and imaginative in American lyric verse"—Douglas Messerli. "Bernstein presents the reader with a world in which the articulation of an individual language is all but prevented by the official discourses that bombard the consciousness from all sides . He [is] on to something important"—Marjorie Perloff. "It is writing of absolute necessity, demanding not to be appreciated, but understood"—Ron Silliman.

Genres: Poetry

78 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1980

About the author

Charles Bernstein is an American poet, theorist, editor, and literary scholar. Bernstein holds the Donald T. Regan Chair in the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the most prominent members of the Language poets (or L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets). In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2005, Bernstein was awarded the Dean's Award for Innovation in Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also been a visiting professor at Columbia University, Brown University, and Princeton University.

Bernstein's highly anticipated new work, All the Whisky in Heaven, will be published in Spring 2010 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Also to be released in the upcoming year is a Companion to Charles Bernstein, which will be published by Salt Publishing, the winner of the prestigious 2008 Nielsen Innovation of the Year award.

Reviews

[Florin Iroftei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernstein's volume subverts the concept of a static self, proposing a fractured postmodern identity influenced by the forces of commerce, bureaucracy and mass media. The poetic compositions emphasise the sonic and visual dimensions of language, offering a groundbreaking contribution to the avant-garde tradition in poetics.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

My real introduction to Bernstein, though I saw him read at The Conceptual Poetry Symposium this past summer. He doesn't always resonate with me, but "Matters of Policy," "The Italian Border of the Alps," and "Ward of the Worlds" are three stunners that come to mind. There are others.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably his best book.