The Man Among the Seals

by Denis Johnson

Poetry. Limited to 260 copies.

Genres: Poetry

55 pages, Hardback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Poet, playwright and author Denis Johnson was born in Munich, West Germany, in 1949 and was raised in Tokyo, Manila and Washington. He earned a masters' degree from the University of Iowa and received many awards for his work, including a Lannan Fellowship in Fiction (1993), a Whiting Writer's Award (1986), the Aga Khan Prize for Fiction from the Paris Review for Train Dreams, and most recently, the National Book Award for Fiction (2007).

Reviews

[Paula Abreu Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

"AO ACORDAR

no limite da terra, ausenta-se
a noite. um outro poema
principia, curvado sobre

a máquina de escrever, tenho de fazer isto
com exactidão, esta manhã
quero deixar claro que o teu

rosto, ao abrir-se
da própria sombra, é mais
perfeito que ontem; e

que a luz, ao
hesitar ante a aproximação
do teu sorriso, deu a esta

cama dolorosa mais do que calor,
mais do que poemas; misteriosamente,

uma rosa generosa, ou uma muito
delicada composição de sons,
alcançou a paz neste novo quarto."

Página 38

[Jayden McComiskie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slowly making my way through Johnson's poetry for the second time. This man was a god.

[Aaron Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

My project of copying out all of Denis Johnson’s poetry in longhand (a great solution to my problem of speed reading poetry, a horrible compulsion that has caused me to be almost entirely unreceptive to the form outside of a classroom) reaches its first plateau here in this respectable first collection. None of the pieces here are great, certainly none of them reach the heights of The Incognito Lounge, or the most beautiful passages in Angels or Jesus’ Son or Train Dreams (or The Stars At Noon or Fiskadoro...), but I liked it! A Child Is Born in the Midwest and A Consequence of Gravity are highlights for me. But having read some of his poetry before, I know that this is just an appetizer.

(B)

[Adaset · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love his novels, but this is wildly mediocre poetry. Not recommended for anyone new to Denis’s work, or anyone familiar with his later accomplishments for that matter. If you’re a diehard fan, it might be worth checking out after you’ve read everything else. Kind of like hearing an early, lo-fi demo tape of your favorite band…before they fired the original frontman who couldn’t stay in key.

[Caleb Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denis Johnson is not a perfect poet. Some of his writing feels clunky and awkward. But when he gets rolling and he turns his attention to people disconnected from community and reality, he can really pack a punch.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read it. Dnf after halfway through.

[Josh Megson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Dylan Santana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha it’s sorta obvious he was 19 when he wrote this but there’s still flashes of wonder in the drub

[Robb Todd]

Disappointing collection. Only one poem that showed his promise. But I read this in "The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly: Poems Collected and New" and knew that this was a young poet still finding his way. It will be interesting to watch the arc.

[Eric Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a hushed brokenness and darkness to many of these poems and yet a searing truth that rises from each.