Synopses & Reviews
Review
"“Waldrop’s brilliance of wit and device, the serenity of judgement, the articulation of research and reflection . . . all these delight, and convince anew that poetry is a vast, holistic science, a science of sciences, from which an adept like Waldrop brings results we’ve never heard before.”" Robert Kelly
Review
"“A great book. It is about the desperate Midwest of the first half of this century. It explains things that you didn’t know needed explanation to know who you are. Proust in the Midwest of America.”" Robert Ashley
Review
"“Waldrop . . . is among the most important writers, translators and publishers of avant-garde literature in our time.”" Publishers Weekly
Review
"“Waldrop . . . is among the most important writers, translators and publishers of avant-garde literature in our time.”" Publishers Weekly
Review
"“A great book. It is about the desperate Midwest of the first half of this century. It explains things that you didn’t know needed explanation to know who you are. Proust in the Midwest of America.”" Robert Ashley
Review
"“Waldrop’s brilliance of wit and device, the serenity of judgement, the articulation of research and reflection . . . all these delight, and convince anew that poetry is a vast, holistic science, a science of sciences, from which an adept like Waldrop brings results we’ve never heard before.”" Robert Kelly
Synopsis
One of the unheralded masterpieces of twentieth-century American fiction, Light While There Is Light is acclaimed poet Keith Waldrop’s autobiographical novel about the myriad ghosts left behind by his family. No synopsis can do justice to the beauty of Waldrop’s measured, wise, and unembroidered prose, illuminating the fear, madness, and destruction within hearth and home—though never repudiating his love for same.
Synopsis
One of the unheralded masterpieces of twentieth-century American fiction, Light While There Is Light is acclaimed poet Keith Waldrop's autobiographical novel about the myriad ghosts left behind by his family. Born to a deeply religious mother, the narrator and his siblings are led across the US as she searches for the "right" religious sect--a trip that ends with her speaking in tongues, and finally her total isolation. But no synopsis can do justice to the beauty of Keith Waldrop's measured, wise, and unembroidered prose, illuminating the fear, madness, and destruction within hearth and home--though never repudiating his love for same. In a tradition that stretches back through Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner to Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe, Keith Waldrop and Light While There Is Light are American treasures.
About the Author
Keith Waldrop, Brooke Russell Astor Professor of Humanities at Brown University, has published more than a dozen works each of original poetry and translations. His first book, A Windmill Near Calvary, was shortlisted for the 1968 National Book Award. Other books include The Real