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Ballistics: Poems

by Billy Collins

Ballistics: Poems  Cover

ISBN13: 9781400064915
ISBN10: 1400064910
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A Billy Collins poem is instantly recognizable. Using simple, understandable language, notes USA Today, the two-term U.S. Poet Laureate captures ordinary life-its pleasure, its discontents, its moments of sadness and of joy. His everyman approach to writing resonates with readers everywhere and generates fans who would otherwise never give a poem a second glance.

Now, in this stunning new collection, Collins touches on a greater array of subjects — love, death, solitude, youth, and aging — delving deeper than ever before. Ballistics comes at the reader full force with moving and playful takes on life. Drawing inspiration from the world around him and from such poetic forebears as Robert Frost, Paul Valery, and eleventh-century poet Liu Yung, Collins drolly captures the essence of an ordinary afternoon:

All I do these drawn-out days
is sit in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge
where there are no pheasants to be seen
and, last time I looked, no ridge.

Collins reflects on his solitude:

If I lived across the street from myself
and I was sitting in the dark
on the edge of the bed
at five o'clock in the morning, was doing on in my study at this hour.

And he meditates on the effects of love:

It turns everything into a symbol
like a storm that breaks loose
in the final chapter of a long novel.
And it may add sparkle to a morning,
or deepen a night
when the bed is ringed with fire.

As Collins strives to find truth in the smallest detail, readers are given a fascinating, intimate glimpse into the heart and soul of a brilliantly thoughtful man and exemplary poet.

Review:

"[G]lows with the confidence of a writer who has been there, done that and been made fully aware of his work's power to delight." Janet Maslin, New York Times

Review:

"[Collins's] most compelling...book yet." Cleveland Plain Dealer

About the Author

Billy Collins is the author of eight collections of poetry, including The Trouble with Poetry, Nine Horses, Sailing Alone Around the Room, Questions About Angels, The Art of Drowning, and Picnic, Lightning. He is also the editor of Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry and 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day. A distinguished professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York, he was Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 and Poet Laureate of New York State from 2004 to 2006.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Sarah E Rose, November 13, 2008 (view all comments by Sarah E Rose)
Collin's poetry begs to be read again and again. His deceptively simple language will appeal to both poetry fans and those new to poetry. You'll often find a phrase or stanza echoing in your head, in a very pleasant way.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781400064915
Author:
Collins, Billy
Publisher:
Random House (NY)
Subject:
American - General
Subject:
Poems.
Subject:
General Poetry
Copyright:
Publication Date:
September 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
112
Dimensions:
8.30x5.70x.90 in. .60 lbs.

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Ballistics: Poems Used Hardcover
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Product details 112 pages Random House - English 9781400064915 Reviews:
"Review" by , "[G]lows with the confidence of a writer who has been there, done that and been made fully aware of his work's power to delight."
"Review" by , "[Collins's] most compelling...book yet."
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