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Three, Breathing
Selected by Mary Ruefle for the National Poetry Series, this singular book transcends time and convention. S.A. Stepanek resurrects Whitman and Blake to weave a mantra of biblical, domestic, and political themes unified by repetition and manic religious energy. Golden leaves as lips, butterhands, daintyveins in wings, liquid architectures,rain.
- GenresPoetry
89 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
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About the author
S.A. Stepanek
1 book1 followerS.A. Stepanek earned an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writer's Workshop and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 4 reviews
January 18, 2013
This is a difficult, unique and rewarding book.
Difficult because it is unafraid of abstraction, of leaving images to float untethered, of deliberately denying the reader a context for its ideas and directions. It is possible to read a page and not know what it means, or even if it desired meaning.
Unique because the whole book is one long poem, and although it has no chapters or sections or dividers, it occurs in bursts of lines with an intensity and self-containment that is like haiku. Several times, after struggling along trying to understand, I came across a section so stunning and sublime, it would stop me cold to reread and reread.
Sometimes the verses are less poem than prayer. Also, unlike so much poetry ever since ... oh, I don't know, Bishop or Sexton or Plath ... the poem is strikingly free of ego. The author remains invisible -- no photo, a one-sentence professional description that conceals the writer's gender. You will not be reminded of other books; you will not read another book like this.
Rewarding because the poem's internal journey -- from shame to doubt to worship to forgiveness -- is one of continuously growing celebration. By the end, silly as it sounds, you feel like something epic has occurred. It's not 90 pages long, and all those short lines, and yet a powerful and moving journey has taken place.
If you want to challenge yourself and find yourself strangely moved, Three, Breathing will reach you.
Difficult because it is unafraid of abstraction, of leaving images to float untethered, of deliberately denying the reader a context for its ideas and directions. It is possible to read a page and not know what it means, or even if it desired meaning.
Unique because the whole book is one long poem, and although it has no chapters or sections or dividers, it occurs in bursts of lines with an intensity and self-containment that is like haiku. Several times, after struggling along trying to understand, I came across a section so stunning and sublime, it would stop me cold to reread and reread.
Sometimes the verses are less poem than prayer. Also, unlike so much poetry ever since ... oh, I don't know, Bishop or Sexton or Plath ... the poem is strikingly free of ego. The author remains invisible -- no photo, a one-sentence professional description that conceals the writer's gender. You will not be reminded of other books; you will not read another book like this.
Rewarding because the poem's internal journey -- from shame to doubt to worship to forgiveness -- is one of continuously growing celebration. By the end, silly as it sounds, you feel like something epic has occurred. It's not 90 pages long, and all those short lines, and yet a powerful and moving journey has taken place.
If you want to challenge yourself and find yourself strangely moved, Three, Breathing will reach you.
February 8, 2008
"and yet, we worship
and speak quite figuratively
and yet
we forgive
and yet, in the great church
the stars are at the periphery
and we are gone"
and speak quite figuratively
and yet
we forgive
and yet, in the great church
the stars are at the periphery
and we are gone"
June 13, 2007
hey: that was unlike the other things!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 4 reviews