Synopses & Reviews
An eagerly awaited new collection of poems by contemporary favorite Tony Hoagland, author of Donkey GospelHow did I come to believe in a government called Tony Hoagland?
With an economy based on flattery and self-protection?
and a sewage system of selective forgetting?
and an extensive history of broken promises?
--from "Argentina"
In What Narcissism Means to Me, award-winning poet Tony Hoagland levels his particular brand of acute irony not only on the personal life, but also on some provinces of American culture. In playful narratives, lyrical outbursts, and overheard conversations, Hoagland cruises the milieu, exploring the spiritual vacancies of American satisfaction. With humor, rich tonal complexity, and aggressive moral intelligence, these poems bring pity to our folly and celebrate our resilience.
Review
"Hoagland funnels 21st-century corporate detritus into his more Whitmanesque impulses, in which he begins to explore a sweeping and explicitly American identity oriented by Radio Shacks and K marts." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Tony Hoagland's disarming poetry collection What Narcissism Means to Me has the appeal of a mean-but-funny friend, a smart aleck you can't dismiss, he's so entertaining and (most of the time) so spot on in his insights." The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Tony Hoagland is the author of
Donkey Gospel, winner of the 1997 James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets, and
Sweet Ruin, winner of the Brittingham Prize in Poetry. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.