Synopses & Reviews
This book of poems provides an episodic relating of a very old Appelachian folk tale which has facinated folk singers such as Johnny Cash and Joan Baez. In the tale, a man goes to his death by hanging rather than reveal that he was making love to his best-friends wife, while the murder her is accused of was committed.Cooperman explores the tale from the viewpoints of many of the participants, including the "honorable" man, the friend, the friend's wife, the murder victim, the murderer, the judge and several of the witnesses and other townspoeple.Linguistically rivetting and designed as an "shuffle" tragedy, the book provided understanding into the long persistence of the folktale on the American stage.
Synopsis
This collection of poems offers a clever take on an old Appalachian folkstory, The Long Black Veil—in which an accused murderer chooses to be hanged instead of admitting that he was making love to his best friend’s wife while the murder was being committed—with more than 90 poems recounting the tale from various townspeople’s points of view, including the best friend, the murder victim, the judge, and the murderer.
Synopsis
This collection of poems offers a clever take on an old Appalachian folkstory, The Long Black Veil—in which an accused murderer chooses to be hung instead of admit that he was making love to his best friend’s wife while the murder was being committed—with more than 90 poems recounting the tale from various townspeople’s points of view, including the best friend, the murder victim, the judge, and the murderer.
About the Author
Robert Cooperman is the author of Petitions for Immortality. He is a former professor at Bowling Green State University, the University of Baltimore, and University of Georgia. He lives in Denver.