Literature

The Norton Introduction to Poetry by J. Paul Hunter (Editor); Alison Booth (Editor); Kelly J. Mays (Editor)

The Book of Songs by Shi, Jing The oldest collection of poetry in world literature.

Orlando Furioso by Lodovico Ariosto; David R. Slavitt (Translator); Charles Ross (Introduction by) The appearance of David R. Slavittâe(tm)s translation of Orlando Furioso (âeoeMad Orlandoâe), one of the great literary achievements of the Italian Renaissance, is a publishing event. With this lively new verse translation, Slavitt introduces readers to Ariostoâe(tm)s now neglected masterpieceâe"a poem whose impact on Western literature can scarcely be exaggerated. It was a major influence on Spenserâe(tm)s Faerie Queene. William Shakespeare borrowed one of its plots. Voltaire called it the equal of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Don Quixote combined. More recently, Italo Calvino drew inspiration from it. Borges was a fan. Now, through translations of generous selections from this longest of all major European poems, Slavitt brings the poem to life in ways previous translators have not.At the heart of Ariostoâe(tm)s romance are Orlandoâe(tm)s unrequited love for the pagan princess Angelica and his jealous rage when she elopes. The action takes place against a besieged Paris, as Charlemagne and his Christian paladins defend the city against the Saracen king. The poem, however, obeys no geography or rules but its own, as the story moves by whim from Japan to the Hebrides to the moon; it includes such imaginary creatures as the hippogriff and a sea monster called the orc.Orlando Furioso is Danteâe(tm)s medieval universe turned upside down and made comic. Characterized by satire, parody, and irony, the poem celebrates a new humanistic Renaissance conception of man in an utterly fantastical world. Slavittâe(tm)s translation captures the energy, comedy, and great fun of Ariostoâe(tm)s Italian.

Poetry by Michael Meyer

Casting Off

Quiet Fire by Juliana Chang This landmark anthology provide the first historical survey of Asian American poetry. The poems were selected to reflect both the high quality and wide range of Asian American poetic discourse. The anthology begins with writings from the 1890s by Sadakichi Harmann and Yone Noguchi and includes poems by Jun Fujita (1923), Bunishi Kagawa (1930), Hisaye Yamamoto (1940), Diana Change 91946) , and others. Earlly work by well-known writers Joy Kogawa, Jessica Hagedorn, and Lawson Inada are also represented. Essays by Fay Chiang, Eric Chock, Alan Chong Lau, Kimiko Hahn, and Gerry Shikatani give an overview of regional Asian American poetry scenes from the 1970s through the 1990s, and the editor provides a complete bibliography of published volumes of Asian American poetry. An important source book, Quiet Fire makes a significant contribution to the remapping of American poetry and Asian American literature.

American Hybrid by Cole Swensen; David St. John (Editor) This spirited anthology of contemporary American poetry focuseson the new poem -- the hybrid -- a synthesis of traditional andexperimental styles. As Cole Swensen argues in the introduction to this comprehensivenew anthology, the long-acknowledged "fundamental division" betweenexperimental and traditional is disappearing in American poetry infavor of hybrid approaches that blend trends from accessiblelyricism to linguistic exploration. The focus in AmericanHybrid is on the blend; the more than seventy poets featuredhere -- including Jorie Graham, Albert Goldbarth, and Lyn Hejinian-- have found new and often unique ways to reconfigure theinnumerable and sometimes conflicting voices of the past thirtyyears. The editors have crafted short introductory essays on eachof the poets in the anthology, providing biographical backgroundsand positioning them within the current of contemporary poetry.This new anthology is essential reading for those who care aboutthe present moment -- and the future -- of American verse.