Staff Pick
Poignant and punctuationless, Edward Hirsch's book-length poem, Gabriel, contends with the death of his adopted son at 22. A master task it would be for any mortal to make their way through these pages without tears a'welling. Hirsch chronicles Gabriel's difficult, often tumultuous life with affection, tenderness, and many a fond memory, but as he recounts the horror and dread upon learning of his son's passing, the stanzas approach unbearable sorrow. While perhaps it was necessary for Hirsch to contend with his grief via his poetical gifts, it must have been an altogether different act of courage to share it with the world. Burying a child is certainly among the most horrific experiences imaginable, yet Hirsch ushers the indescribable into words — bearing witness to his own bereavement and struggling to make sense of an unbearable anguish. Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com
Poignant and punctuationless, Edward Hirsch's book-length poem, Gabriel, contends with the death of his adopted son at 22. A master task it would be for any mortal to make their way through these pages without tears a'welling. Hirsch chronicles Gabriel's difficult, often tumultuous life with affection, tenderness, and many a fond memory, but as he recounts the horror and dread upon learning of his son's passing, the stanzas approach unbearable sorrow. While perhaps it was necessary for Hirsch to contend with his grief via his poetical gifts, it must have been an altogether different act of courage to share it with the world. Burying a child is certainly among the most horrific experiences imaginable, yet Hirsch ushers the indescribable into words—bearing witness to his own bereavement and struggling to make sense of an unbearable anguish. Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
The population of his feelings
Could not be governed
By the authorities
He had reasons why
Reason disobeyed him
And voted him out of office
Anxiety
His constant companion
Made it difficult to rest
Unruly party of one
Forget about truces or compromises
The barricades will be stormed
Every day was an emergency
Every day called for another emergency
Meeting of the cabinet
In his country
There were scenes
Of spectacular carnage
Hurricanes welcomed him
He adored typhoons and tornadoes
Furies unleashed
Houses lifted up
And carried to the sea
Uncontained uncontainable
Unbolt the doors
Fling open the gates
Here he comes
Chaotic wind of the gods
He was trouble
But he was our trouble
Synopsis
Edward Hirsch is the author of eight collections of poetry, including Wild Gratitude, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and, most recently, The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems. He has published several prose books, among them How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry, a national best seller. His numerous awards include a MacArthur Fellowship. A longtime teacher in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, Hirsch is now the president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Synopsis
Edward Hirsch has published eight books of poetry and five books of prose. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.