NEW DIRECTIONS 44

by J.; Peter Glassgold & Frederick R. Martin--Eds. Laughlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1982

Two longish pieces dominate this 44th ND anthology, both of them dealing with ""the Feminine."" First there's H.D.'s 1957 poem sequence ""Vale Ave""--a progression of portraits of disadvantaged women, from Lilith to Eve to a lover of Sir Walter Raleigh to Hilda Doolittle herself; and though not topnotch poetry by H.D. standards, the historical interest is substantial. The other major selection: ""Yael,"" a selfcontained section from French writer Edmond Jabès' The Book of Questions--a fascinating literary work (lucently translated by Rosemarie Waldrop) in which the woman Yael is manifested as ""word,"" a representation of the anti-absolute and metamorphosis of truth that are Jabès hallmarks. (Here, too, are some brilliant Jabès aphorisms: ""Rust is fire on vacation."") The other, lesser standouts include intelligent, gifted stories by Paul West and New Zealander Russell Haley--and a touching, effective, long historical poem about George Sand by John Allman. But the rest is unimpressive: technically deft yet empty work by Gustaf Sobin, wretched diatribes against Manhattan ugliness by Enrique Lihn, and some intense but entropic poems by Allen Grossman. A characteristically uneven ND collection, then, with that Jabès tour de force as the prime attraction.

Pub Date: May 1, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: New Directions

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION