The Endarkenment

by Jeffrey McDaniel

Even if you count yourself among the unredeemed who claim they don't like poetry, buy this book anyway. It will convert you and install a skylight in your brain. Alive and kicking in these pages is the voice of a brilliantly comic consciousness. McDaniel is a candid, frisky hyperalert, conversant with drugs and sobriety, obscene phone call addicts, 'boner etiquette, ' fatherhood, the special hell of family, being an 'emotional warrior' and so much more. He's an urban wordsmith of the first order. You hold in your hands his anguished autobiography, a smorgasbord of famished compassion, tenderness, luminous surprises, and armor-piercing humor. - Amy Gerstler It was an energetic moment when I encountered Jeffrey McDaniel for the first time. Even after a few lines it became obvious that he was someone who produced not only a very vivid but also innovative poetry. A fusion of pain and goodness, comic reliefs, and explosive moments on the crunchy surface of daily horrors/shocks

Genres: Poetry, Humor, Fiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

He is the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His writing has been included in Ploughshares, The Best American Poetry 1994, and The New Young American Poets, as well as on the National Endowment for the Arts website.

Although McDaniel has not performed in a poetry slam in over 10 years, he has made spoken word appearances at Lollapalooza, the Moscow Writers Union, and the Globe in Prague, as well as numerous poetry slams across the United States in the early-to-mid '90s.

A compilation of selected poems, Katostrophenkunde, was translated into German by Ron Winkler and published in 2006.

He teaches creative writing and is a faculty advisor at Sarah Lawrence College.

Reviews

[cristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Jeffrey McDaniel's witty style and use of language. It makes for some great poems.

(I liked The Endarkenment, but I loved Forgiveness Parade)

[Elyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeffrey McDaniel continues to own my soul in a pretty major case of Poet Envy. I have all his books and he never lets me down.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third collection of McDaniel's work. Daily horrors mixed with the humor of truth. This guy will crack you up.

Favorites: (to name a few)
-Origins
-Summer of Stationary Road Trips
-The Pool
-The Soul Farmer
-don't touch it
-Good
-Watch the Closing Doors.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often very surreal, Jeffrey McDaniel's poems border on the very bizarre. I mean, very few poets could get away with writing a self portrait with a stick of butter. However, while I can't say that I liked all of McDaniel's work, I can say that he provides some one-of-a kind metaphors. Cliche is not in this man's vocabulary (or his poetry). In essence, his work reminds me of Tony Hoagland.

[Heather Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of contemporary poetry I've read in awhile-- wise, funny, humble, heartbreaking, sincere, profane, cracked, lovely, wry. Reminded me a bit of David Berman's Actual Air, a bit of Dean Young, and some Denis Johnson.

[Katharine Coggeshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there's only one book of poetry you read, let it be this one. Although I couldn't relate directly to the author's writings on drug use, low-income neighborhoods, and the male perspective, I found his poetry mesmerizing. He has incredible imagery and talent for delivery without being obtuse or tangential. The delight is not in the topics, it's in the author's execution. Wonderful book!

[C. Varn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeffrey McDaniel's poetry has a manic quality that trips into the surreal and yet he can be rooted in the most brutal realism. While McDaniel has been known in poetry circles for a while before this book as his previous books had been released by Manic D, but this is his first academic press poetry volume and his themes have matured and darkened here. Sobriety's lack and manic struggle run through the entirety of the book: Failed relationships and fatherhood, drugs, surreal imaginary, sexual tension, the problems of the South. His style feels a bit like Dean Young or Tony Hoagland in his metaphors, but his mood is darker. Some particularly stand-out poems are "Oblivion Chiclets"and "Air Empathy." Strongly recommended.

[Starr Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite poetry books to read. McDaniel has a way with words, he is such a realist. Most of the poems in this book highlight his flaws, his outlandish views on society, and his darkened childhood. He presents himself, just as he is. His style changes throughout the book, each poem carries it's own flow. Metaphorically, he surprises the reader line by line. His lines are beautifully broken, sometimes he rambles himself into prose-- but for the most part he uses a lot of stanzas. Overall this book is full of variety. It is modern day poetry at it's finest. I would definitely recommend this book to all poets looking to break the rules and be themselves.

[Jamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I liked it a hell of a lot.

[Corin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three for three with the books I've read by McDaniel. Next up: The Forgiveness Parade.

[Rabia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful short read full of sentences to enlighten with the sweet poetry I loathe for

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like poems that discuss serious subjects. I like poems that are a bit grotesque and dark, but still have beautiful language. Quite a few of the poems in this collection have those elements. Jeffrey McDaniel's collection is real, raw, and honest. He doesn't leave out the ugly parts. Instead, he writes about them in ways that are emotional and beautiful (while still maintaining the honesty). "Oblivion Chiclets" is my overall favorite, though other poems also have amazing, moving lines. Surprisingly, in this collection there are also some funny poems. I typically am not drawn to funny poems, but I did find some of McDaniel's amusing. There really is a good variety of poems (tone, style, content) in his collection. Still, for me the greatness of this collection rested in the wrenching poems about broken families and drug addictions. Much of my own poetry deals with difficult matter inspired from my life, and I really appreciate what McDaniel has done in this collection. Powerful.

[Mozart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. McDaniel has great lines that are in the middle of fantastic poems. So he is flash and substance. and boy does he know how to end a poem. I never thought poetry could be entertainment ya know. Like i have always read it to be inspired and to learn more about myself the world and just experience the beauty of words, but here with McDaniel its like watching your favorite guilty pleasure (action movie, trash tv)... but now insert literary excellence with the staying power of that guilty pleasure,eh!
Simply fantastic. I borrowed this book from the library and will be purchasing soon. One of those books that should be visited weekly, if not daily!

[Danielle Mebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best poetry books I've read in a long time. It's meaty enough for poetry lovers, but its humor makes poetry accessible to casual readers. With poems like "Boner Etiquette," how could this not be a great book?

[Andrea Janov · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I ever want to be reminded about what modern poetry could and should be, I just read The Endarkenment. Raw, honest, gritty, but polished, rhythmic, and crafted at the same time. I am not sure why poets aren't rock stars, this is better and more relevant than anything out there.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Jeffrey's work a month ago when I read Holiday in the Islands of Grief. I found this one a few weeks ago and he's still my very favorite poet. Using clever metaphor interwoven with what I imagine to be his natural speaking cadence, he tells us the story of him and it's fantastic.

[Stephen]

Book I'll have to buy soon.

[Christina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Jeffrey McDaniel's newest and best book. It is hilarious, heart-warming, tear-jerking, sympathy inducing, and just plain amazing poetry.

[Sarah]

The Endarkenment (Pitt Poetry Series) by Jeffrey McDaniel (2008)

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffrey is great with the image, and able to mix pathos with humor and the ironic twist to wright a dark poem that shines.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeffrey McDaniel continues to amaze me with his work. A moving, brilliant poet. Possibly my favorite contemporary poet.

[Tamas O'Doughda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Odysseus on the G Train" is a great poem. The one about an exhibit for the extinct heavy breather was also memorable. The rest was a mixed bag.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a single word: BRILLIANT

[Peachy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two words: Boner. Etiquette.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like these poems so much that I snapped pictures of some of them to post on facebook.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, maybe 3.75 stars.

There is no denying Jeffrey McDaniel's ability as a poet. He puts everything out there and I appreciate that. Like other reviews have said, he has a way with metaphors, that despite how strange may sound, they make so much sense you wonder why you've never thought if saying it that way before.

I gave this collection less than 4 stars, which is not to say I didn't like it, it just didn't hit me like other works have. I'm happy to have this book as a stepping stone into McDaniel's work.