This collection of twenty-four poems reveals the range and power of a young Southern poet whose work is characterized by a tensile strength and a coldly factual style which beneath the surface carries great passion. Some of the poems masterfully employ twists of irony; others utilize grotesque, yet real, characters and situations; others are nimble parodies. All of the poems, however, proclaim Taylor's sensitivity to the rhythms and idioms of everyday speech. All touch the unusual, the comic, the despairing, the hopeful. These, then, are distinctive poems about man and his condition, informed by reality and by a simple but powerful expression.
Henry Taylor, author of four poetry collections, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for his third book of poems, The Flying Change. He is professor of literature and codirector of the MFA program in creative writing at American University.
