Ecstatic in the Poison

by Andrew Hudgins

Drawing on events of childhood and of later years, as well as the real and imagined lives of others, Hudgins brings to life a rich, comedic, and haunting variety of characters: among them a prankster who disassembles a Cadillac and rebuilds it in his attic, Russian soldiers on the verge of execution, frenzied inhabitants of Sodom, along with middle-class husbands, wives, and children. Cameo appearances by Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus, God strolling in the Garden of Eden, and Josef Stalin lead the reader through the epochs. In Hudgins's adroit hands, a lake, and even a joke become personified.

Genres: Poetry

204 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2003

About the author

ANDREW HUDGINS is the author of seven books of poems, including Saints and Strangers, The Glass Hammer, and most recently Ecstatic in the Poison. A finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, he is a recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships as well as the Harper Lee Award. He currently teaches in the Department of English at Ohio State University.

Reviews

[Kirsten Kinnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Gritty. Powerful. What a writer.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have greatly enjoyed all the random Andrew Hudgins poems I have discovered online, so I expected to enjoy this book. I have to say that I was disappointed. Hudgins is not the free verse poet I thought he was. He rhymes a whole lot in this book, and his rhymes are distracting. They're too obvious or too jarring, and they take me right out of the poem. A few of his rhyming poems work for me like "Out" (called "In the Well" elsewhere) and "Silver." Of the handful of free verse poems, "Asleep with the Dog" is my favorite.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard for me to rate a book of poetry because I'm somewhat ignorant about poetry--but I'm learning! Also, it is inevitable that I will not like all the poems in the book. I liked a handful enough to reread.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gross.