2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS


Recently Viewed clear list


Interviews | February 14, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Stephen Dau: The Powells.com Interview



Stephen DauStephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories... Continue »
  1. $17.47 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    The Book of Jonas

    Stephen Dau 9780399158452

spacer
Free Shipping!

Ships free on qualified orders.
$0.95
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Local Warehouse Journalism- Journalists

Obliviously On He Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme

by Calvin Trillin

Obliviously On He Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme Cover

ISBN13: 9781400062881
ISBN10: 1400062888
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Less Than Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $0.95!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Does the Bush Administration sound any better in rhyme? In this biting array of verse, it at least sounds funnier. Calvin Trillin employs everything from a Gilbert and Sullivan style, for describing George Bushs rescue in the South Carolina primary by the Christian Right (“I am, when all is said and done, a Robertson Republican”), to a bilingual approach, when commenting on the Presidents casual acknowledgment, after months of trying to persuade the nation otherwise, that there was never any evidence of Iraqi involvement in 9/11: “The Web may say, or maybe Lexis-Nexis / If chutzpa is a word they use in Texas.”

Trillin deals not only with George W. Bush but with the people around himSupreme Commander Karl Rove and Condoleezza (Mushroom Cloud) Rice and Nanny Dick Cheney (“One mystery Ive tried to disentangle: / Why Cheneys head is always at an angle . . .”) The armchair warriors Trillin refers to as the Sissy Hawk Brigade are celebrated in such poems as “Richard Perle: Whose Fault Is He?” and “A Sissy Hawk Cheer” (“All-out war is still our druthers / Fiercely fought, and fought by others.”).

Trillin may never be poet laureatecertainly not while George W. Bush is in officebut his wit and his political insight produce what has been called “doggerel for the ages.”

Review:

"There's nothing for improving a satirist's form like having a good target....The present presidential administration, led as it is by the least articulate politician in living memory (as Trillin notes, 'W' is no Dan Quayle), seems heaven sent for satire, however, and Trillin rises to its benison....Trillin so wryly yet accurately reflects the deep feelings of so many Americans that his rhymes may come to constitute a critical introduction for students of these times." Ray Olson, Booklist

Synopsis:

Equally celebrated as a journalist, essayist, and humorist, Trillin combines the wit and insight he brings to all three vocations in the pointedly funny poetry he writes about contemporary politics and culture.

About the Author

Since 1990, CALVIN TRILLIN has been The Nations “deadline poet,” contributing every week a piece of verse on the news. In discussing his political sympathies, he has said, “I am partial to politicians with iambic names that rhyme with a lot of disparaging words.”

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

Laura Harrington, November 21, 2009 (view all comments by Laura Harrington)
Mr. Trillin has a uniquely unmatched talent to turn everything you were thinking into the words you wish you had. The truth, the rhymes, the political satire all come together in a delicious soup. When was the last time you found your self reading an amusing poem or story and then suddenly without warning laughing out load. From the Nanny Dick references to the statement "Oblviously on he sails, with marks not as good as Quales", well, this book will do it for you. What a gift laughter.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Lisa Smith, January 28, 2009 (view all comments by Lisa Smith)
I can't remember the title of first volume of Trillin's wonderful doggerel, published during the George H.W. Bush administration, but I'll never forget:

If you knew
What Sununu
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(11 of 15 readers found this comment helpful)
View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9781400062881
Author:
Trillin, Calvin
Publisher:
Random House
Author:
Trillin, Calvin
Location:
New York
Subject:
United states
Subject:
Presidents
Subject:
Topic - Political
Subject:
Political poetry, American
Subject:
Presidents -- United States.
Subject:
Political
Subject:
Humor-Politics and Business
Copyright:
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Series Volume:
no. 2
Publication Date:
June 1, 2004
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
128
Dimensions:
7.24x5.54x.69 in. .47 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $4.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  2. $4.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    If you can't say something nice

    Calvin Trillin 9780140114836
  3. $3.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Family Man

    Calvin Trillin 9780374525835
  4. $2.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  5. $2.50 Used Hardcover add to wish list
  6. $7.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

Obliviously On He Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$0.95 In Stock
Product details 128 pages Random House - English 9781400062881 Reviews:
"Review" by , "There's nothing for improving a satirist's form like having a good target....The present presidential administration, led as it is by the least articulate politician in living memory (as Trillin notes, 'W' is no Dan Quayle), seems heaven sent for satire, however, and Trillin rises to its benison....Trillin so wryly yet accurately reflects the deep feelings of so many Americans that his rhymes may come to constitute a critical introduction for students of these times."
"Synopsis" by , Equally celebrated as a journalist, essayist, and humorist, Trillin combines the wit and insight he brings to all three vocations in the pointedly funny poetry he writes about contemporary politics and culture.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...


Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.