Reversing The Spell - Eleanor Rand Wilner - Copper Canyon Press

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Reversing the Spell

Eleanor Rand Wilner

Following the tradition of the old Talmudic prophets and ancient Chinese sages, Eleanor Wilner finds visionary insights into myth, culture, and the human psyche. Highly allusive and with an ear for the line that is utterly captivating, her poems are at once passionate, revolutionary and elegant. While ranging among subjects as diverse as Hera and the space program, the third-century Lu Chi and the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, she is blessed with an amazing gift of seemingly perpetual transformation. Collecting the best poems from four previous volumes and adding a substantial body of new work, Reversing the Spell presents one of the most vital and original voices in American poetry.

Paperback: $20.00 list price

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ISBN: 9781556590825

Format: Paperback

On Ethnic Definitions

In the Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the ghetto was so small, so little space for the living, and less (by rights) for the dead—the bodies were buried standing up: the underground train to Sheol, packed for the rush hour of ghosts—when the train arrives, when the final trump sounds and the Saved dead rise, with a sigh, they’ll at last lie down.

About the Author

Eleanor Rand Wilner is the author of eight books of poetry, two of which have been published by Copper Canyon. Her awards include the 2019 Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement from the Poetry Society of America, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Juniper Prize, and three Pushcart Prizes. She holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She lives in Philadelphia.

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Reviews

“A perfect introduction to the work and world of Eleanor Wilner.” —Publishers Weekly

“Surely anyone who moves from bats and goddesses to Asian art and the politics of the body is worth investigating. This collection, drawn partly from four previous works, is a good starting point.” —Library Journal

“Wilner is attempting to rewrite Western myth and Biblical tradition… Her sudden flights of lyricism are disarming and dazzling.” —New York Times Book Review

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