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Prose Poetry: An Introduction
by Paul Hetherington Cassandra AthertonAn engaging and authoritative introduction to an increasingly important and popular literary genreProse Poetry is the first book of its kind—an engaging and authoritative introduction to the history, development, and features of English-language prose poetry, an increasingly important and popular literary form that is still too little understood and appreciated. Poets and scholars Paul Hetherington and Cassandra Atherton introduce prose poetry’s key characteristics, chart its evolution from the nineteenth century to the present, and discuss many historical and contemporary prose poems that both demonstrate their great diversity around the Anglophone world and show why they represent some of today’s most inventive writing.A prose poem looks like prose but reads like poetry: it lacks the line breaks of other poetic forms but employs poetic techniques, such as internal rhyme, repetition, and compression. Prose Poetry explains how this form opens new spaces for writers to create riveting works that reshape the resources of prose while redefining the poetic. Discussing prose poetry’ s precursors, including William Wordsworth and Walt Whitman, and prose poets such as Charles Simic, Russell Edson, Lydia Davis, and Claudia Rankine, the book pays equal attention to male and female prose poets, documenting women’s essential but frequently unacknowledged contributions to the genre.Revealing how prose poetry tests boundaries and challenges conventions to open up new imaginative vistas, this is an essential book for all readers, students, teachers, and writers of prose poetry.
Prosody and Language in Contact
by Elisabeth Delais-Roussarie Mathieu Avanzi Sophie HermentThis volume provides new insights into various issues on prosody in contact situations, contact referring here to the L2 acquisition process as well as to situations where two language systems may co-exist. A wide array of phenomena are dealt with (prosodic description of linguistic systems in contact situations, analysis of prosodic changes, language development processes, etc. ), and the results obtained may give an indication of what is more or less stable in phonological and prosodic systems. In addition, the selected papers clearly show how languages may have influenced or may have been influenced by other language varieties (in multilingual situations where different languages are in constant contact with one another, but also in the process of L2 acquisition). Unlike previous volumes on related topics, which focus in general either on L2 acquisition or on the description and analyses of different varieties of a given language, this volume considers both topics in parallel, allowing comparison and discussion of the results, which may shed new light on more far-reaching theoretical questions such as the role of markedness in prosody and the causes of prosodic changes.
Prospects
by Judith HallWhich prospects will be shared? Which inherited? Or must they be individual inventions, spurs digging into a future unavailable but, nevertheless, still there? Judith Hall’s new poems consider the ways in which prospects take any number of forms, as different perspectives offer a sense of choice and loss.
Protestpop und Krautrock (Kontemporär. Schriften zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur #18)
by Christoph Jürgensen Gerhard Kaiser Markus JochDie knapp eineinhalb Jahrzehnte nach 1970 erscheinen im Rückblick als eine Art Sattelzeit der deutschen Popmusik: Fast alle maßgeblichen, zukunftsträchtigen Stile, Artikulations- und Inszenierungsweisen des deutschen Pop entwickeln und etablieren sich in diesem Zeitraum. Das sich in zunehmendem Maße ausdifferenzierende Spektrum reicht vom Protestpop über den sogenannten Krautrock bis hin zu einer auf Breitenwirksamkeit setzenden Rockmusik sowie den später unter dem ebenso unpräzisen wie wirkmächtigen label „Neue Deutsche Welle“ rubrizierten Spielweisen. Der Band wirft zum einen einen neuen Blick auf Geschichte und Spielarten des äußerst heterogenen Protestpop vom Anarcho-Rock der Ton Steine Scherben bis zu BAP, den Lindenberg in punkto Massenresonanz überholenden Kölschrockern. Zum anderen analysiert der Band die musikalischen, textlichen und performativen Inszenierungsstrategien des Krautrock der frühen 1970er Jahre. Der vor allem von der englischsprachigen Popbeobachtung zunächst pejorativ verwendete Begriff des Krautrock ist freilich diffus, da er ein Spektrum ganz unterschiedlicher Stile umfasst. Dieses reicht vom Rock bis zu den elektronischen Klangexperimenten von so unterschiedlichen Bands wie Tangerine Dream, Cluster oder Kraftwerk. Einigendes Band dieser unterschiedlichen Akteure scheint jedoch die dezidierte Abgrenzung von angloamerikanischen Vorbildern zu sein.
Proverbs of Limbo: Poems
by Robert PinskyA new book of poems by the three-time poet laureate Robert Pinsky, a writer "rarely equalled" (Louise Glück). Robert Pinsky, one of our most ambitious, inventive, and finely tuned poets, takes an original approach to the fraught, central matter of borders in Proverbs of Limbo, his first new book of poetry in eight years. In this collection, the poet mines and maps limbal regions: those spaces between differences that can be at once creative and oppressive, enlightening and dark, exciting and fatal. For Pinsky, they include the familiar borders between demographic categories, as well as limbal realities that are more personal—clashing ways of understanding, personal history and world history, health and illness, freedom and compulsion, intimacy and community, personality and culture—all the countless variations of in-between. The title Proverbs of Limbo tips its hat, at an angle, to the great poet William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell. Blake’s jagged, contrary proverbs resist, from within, the binary rights and wrongs of conventional Christianity: “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom”; “The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.” Here, Pinsky embodies a different resistance to different conventions of understanding. “The Buddha,” begins the title poem, “is a liquor store / On a busy corner.”
Providential
by Colin ChannerLonglisted for the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize for Poetry"The Caribbean policeman is a character both foreign and familiar at the center of this intimate debut poetry collection. Combining Jamaican patois and American English, it tells the story of violence, loss, and recovery in the wake of colonialism."--O, the Oprah MagazineOne of LargeUp's Ten Great Books by Caribbean Authors in 2015"Jamaican-born Channer draws on the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean and his own unique experience for this energetic, linguistically inventive first collection of poetry....Channer's lyrics pop and reel in sheer musicality....A dextrous, ambitious collection that delivers enough acoustic acrobatics to keep readers transfixed 'till the starlings sing out.'"--Booklist"Channer...skillfully examines the brutality that permeates Jamaica's history in this moving debut poetry collection....Channer's poems rise to present the reader with a panoramic view of a place 'built on old foundations of violence,' of 'geographies where genocide and massacre/hang like smoke from coal fires.'"--Publishers Weekly"[Channer's] technique and foresight bring the underlying story of the collection, and the history he expounds, into full daylight and the collection succeeds in revealing a life and history as an essay might, but with the beauty of lyric added to narrative in an exercise that is cohesive in its ability to maintain its trajectory. It is a notable accomplishment."--New York Journal of Books"Jamaica's Colin Channer has been mixing patois in his romantic tales since his 1998 debut novel, Waiting In Vain. In 2015, he blessed us with Providential (Akashic), a poetry collection that touches on the full range of Jamaican languages and dreams."--LargeUp"Fear stalks everyone, police and pursued, and Channer’s poems arrest us to that truth in syncopated, shocking fevers."--Caribbean Beat Magazine"[Channer's] strongest offering yet....Providential perfectly clothes the written word with matching tone and atmosphere. Welcome to the hallowed halls of Fine Poetry!"--Kaieteur News (Guyana)"Channer has written a fine set of poems that, like classical myth, start with the search for the lost father and end with the found son, the poet in the process replacing the lost father with a found self."--Russell Banks, author of The Sweet Hereafter"The voices and irrepressible human dance of the clan pulsing at this book's center leave me breathless and I realize how close the voices are to my own, how much I crave this dance."--Patricia Smith, author of Shoulda Been Jimi SavannahChanner's debut poetry collection achieves an intimate and lyric meditation on family, policing, loss, and violence, but the work is enlivened by humor, tenderness, and the rich possibilities that come from honest reflection. Combined with a capacity to offer physical landscapes with painterly sensitivity and care, a graceful mining of the nuances of Jamaican patwa and American English, and a judicious use of metaphor and similie, Providential is a work of "heartical" insight and vulnerability.Not since Claude McKay's Constab Ballads of 1912 has a writer attempted to tackle the unlikely literary figure of the Jamaican policeman. Now, over a century later, Channer draws on his own knowledge of Jamaican culture, on his complex relationship with his father (a Jamaican policeman), and frames these poems within the constantly humane principles of Rasta and reggae. The poems within Providential manage to turn the intricate relationships between a man and his father, a man and his mother, and man and his country, and a man and his children into something akin to grace.
Provoked in Venice: The Rider Quintet, vol. 3 (Wesleyan Poetry Series)
by Mark RudmanIn these powerfully conceived and understated poems, Mark Rudman asks how culture is created and shared, and how historical events and figures are known through direct experiences of place. The title Provoked in Venice alludes to the structure of the book, wherein a trip to Italy becomes the catalyst for a meditative view of the convergence of imagination, history, and the 20th-century attempt to recover them both. The narrator enters the maze of Venice like a contemporary Dante guided only by the voice of the "rider"-interlocuter. Rich in allusions to literature, film, and the past, this final volume of the trilogy will engage and sustain all mental travelers.
Prufrock and Other Observations
by T. S. EliotIncluded in Prufrock and Other Observations are the following poems: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Portrait of a Lady Preludes Rhapsody on a Windy Night Morning at the Window The Boston Evening Transcript Aunt Helen Cousin Nancy Mr. Apollinax Hysteria Conversation Galante La Figlia Che Piange
Prufrock and Other Observations (Poet To Poet Ser.)
by T. S. EliotLet us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table; Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels.
Psalms
by Walter Brueggemann Jr. William H. BellingerAnn Weems offers in this collection a poignant rendering of her own personal psalms of lament. She draws from the rich heritage of the Psalms to give voice to the grief and anguish she has felt over the death of her son. Her words, now in this easy-to-read large-print edition, will deeply move anyone who has mourned the loss of a loved one. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Psalms Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video: An Ancient Challenge to Get Serious About Your Prayer and Worship (Epic of Eden)
by Sandra L. Richter, PhDExperience fresh connections to contemporary worship and devotional practices in this eight-session video-based study of Psalms with Bible scholar Sandra Richter (streaming video included).The book of Psalms is well-known and well-worn. It is the Old Testament book most often quoted in the New Testament, and its quotations can be found everywhere from John Milton to Star Trek to Congressional speeches. Why so much attention? The Church Father Athanasius said it best—most of Scripture speaks to us, but the Book of Psalms speaks for us.This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including:An individual access code to stream all eight video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!).The study guide itself—with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and study sections.Illuminated manuscript activities.In-depth breakdown of specific psalms.The Book of Psalms Study (part of the Epic of Eden series) will open up the poetry and prayers of Scripture in a whole new and deeply sensitive way. Learning from Professor Richter's crystal-clear teaching, you'll discover:How you can trust God with all your emotions: grief, anger, praise, fear, and hope.How and why the people of Israel used the Psalms in worship.Why the book of Psalms is critical in our devotional lives today.How the Psalms can deepen your prayer life.Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.
Psalms Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video: Experience the Book That Speaks FOR Us (Epic of Eden)
by Sandra L. Richter, PhDWhat Makes the Psalms So Special?The book of Psalms is well-known and well-loved. It is the Old Testament book most often quoted in the New Testament, and its quotations can be found everywhere from John Milton to Star Trek to Congressional speeches. Why so much attention? The Church Father Athanasius said it best—whereas most of Scripture speaks to us, the Book of Psalms speaks for us.Come to truly understand this beloved hymnal of ancient Israel. Experience fresh connections to contemporary worship and devotional practices in this eight-session video-based study with well-known scholar Sandra Richter. Indulge in the biblical study of the Psalms, letting Sandy do the heavy lifting of research and translation, which in turn allows you to engage the Bible more deeply than you thought possible.What Bible study users are saying about Psalms:"Sandra beautifully leads us to use the Psalms as a tool for prayer, worship, expression, and support in our lives today.""A gift to better understand the Psalms and their function.""Her insights about the history, cultural context, and use of poetry are so helpful and fascinating."This study guide includes:Individual access to eight streaming videos from SandraVideo outlines for notetakingGroup discussion questionsIn-depth individual study between sessionsIlluminated manuscript activities and in-depth breakdowns of specific psalmsStreaming video access included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2029. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.
Psych Murders (Made in Michigan Writers Series)
by Stephanie HeitStephanie Heit’s hybrid memoir poem blasts the page electric and documents her experience of shock treatment. Using a powerful mélange of experimental forms, she traces her queer mad bodymind through breathlessness, damage, refusal, and memory loss as it shifts in and out of locked psychiatric wards and extreme bipolar states. Heit survives to give readers access to this somatic, visceral rendering of a bipolar life complete with sardonic humor, while showing us the dire need for new paradigms of mental health care outside closets, attics, prisons, and wards. Psych Murders adds a vital layer of lived experience of electroshocks and suicidal ideation to the growing body of literature of madness and mental health difference.
Psychoanalysis and Aesthetics (Collected Works of Charles Baudouin)
by Charles BaudouinOriginally published in 1924, this title is substantially a continuation of Baudouin’s earlier work Studies in Psychoanalysis, being an application of psychoanalysis to the theory of aesthetics, as illustrated by a detailed study of the works of the Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren. The ‘interpretation’ Freud has supplied for dreams Baudouin attempts – and archives – for the imagery of the artistic creator. The work is in part based upon private documents supplied to the author by Madame Verhaeren, an autograph letter, and a previously unpublished poem.
Public Figures (Wesleyan Poetry Series)
by Jena OsmanPublic Figures is an essay-poem with photographs and text that begins with a playful thought experiment: statues of people in public spaces have eyes, but what are they looking at? To answer that question, Jena Osman sets up a camera to track the gaze of a number of statues in Philadelphia--mostly 19th century military figures carrying weapons. How does their point of view differ from our own? And how does it compare, say, to the point of view of other watchful military figures, such as drone pilots? In this book, Osman combines the histories behind these statues with poetic narratives that ask us to think about our own relational positions, and how our own everyday gaze may be complicit with the gun-sights of war. Public Figures illustrates how history is transformed, and even erased, by monuments and other public records of events. Through poetry, those histories can be made visible again.
Public. Open. Space
by Kate LarsenPublic. Open. Space. is a collection of poetry inspired by spaces, places and situations that are controlled and contested online and in real life. Looking at firewalls and feminism, activism and apathy, Public. Open. Space. explores freedom and suppresion, censorship and silencing, propaganda and protest, as well as the difference between being told ‘ no' and choosing to say it ourselves.
Puddle Jumpers
by Anne Margaret LewisIt’s a rainy day in the month of May and Sam spots a rainbow, and then a puddle. A perfect spring puddle. His mother warns, "No! No jumping in puddles! You must keep clean today!” but Sam can’t stop himself from testing the water with his galoshes. And then the puddle invites him to play. The puddle whispers, "Jump, Puddle Jumper, jump!” and with that very first jump, Sam is off on an adventure of the imagination. He’ll be a frog in a pond, with a hat and some spots and a magic wand. He’ll be a crocodile with pink polka dots and teeth like blades, and a polar bear with purple polar hair. He’s going to jump, leap, dance, plunge, swim, and jump again. Sam is having so much fun in his puddle that even Mom can’t resist. With a leap and a thwump, she’s jumping too, cheering, "Jump, Puddle Jumper, jump!” This happy picture book celebrates the simple, pure joy of jumping in a rain puddle. Nancy Cote’s cheerful illustrations are full of kid appeal, a perfect match to a story that captures the magic of being a child. Let your imagination take you on your own adventure the next time you encounter an irresistible puddle. Aimed for children ages 3 to 6, this is a charming book about letting your imagination run wild and also about the joys children can find in even just a simple rain puddle. Encouraging kids to explore their outside world provides important developmental play for kids and parents will find the mom's reluctance and then acquiescence a good reminder that adults need to enter the world of children in order to allow them to explore their world and to learn from it.
Puddle Wonderful: Poems to Welcome Spring
by Bobbi Katz Mary MorganChildren's poems that describe the meaning of spring, the delights of rain and mud, the joys of birds and flowers, and other facets of spring. Also discusses April Fool's Day from the point of a dragon-denouncing court jester and considers the Easter Bunny. Poems elaborate on Arbor Day and the custom of spring cleaning. Authors include Eve Merriam, Dennis Lee, Lillian Moore, Jack Prelutsky, and Bobbi Katz. Some ancient quotations are also included.
Puerilities: Erotic Epigrams of The Greek Anthology (The Lockert Library of Poetry in Translation #49)
by Daryl HineElegiac lyrics celebrating the love of boys, which the translator terms Puerilities, comprise most of the twelfth book of The Greek Anthology. That book, the so-called Musa Puerilis, is brilliantly translated in this, the first complete verse version in English. It is a delightful eroticopia of short poems by great and lesser-known Greek poets, spanning hundreds of years, from ancient times to the late Christian era. The epigrams--wry, wistful, lighthearted, libidinous, and sometimes bawdy--revel in the beauty and fickle affection of boys and young men and in the fleeting joys of older men in loving them. Some, doubtless bandied about in the lax and refined setting of banquets, are translated as limericks. Also included are a few fine and often funny poems about girls and women. Fashion changes in morality as well as in poetry. The sort of attachment that inspired these verses was considered perfectly normal and respectable for over a thousand years. Some of the very best Greek poets--including Strato of Sardis, Theocritus, and Meleager of Gadara--are to be found in these pages. The more than two hundred fifty poems range from the lovely to the playful to the ribald, but all are, as an epigram should be, polished and elegant. The Greek originals face the translations, enhancing the volume's charm. A friend of Youth, I have no youth in mind, For each has beauties, of a different kind. --Strat? I've had enough to drink; my heart and soul As well as tongue are losing self-control. The lamp flame bifurcates; I multiply The dinner guests by two each time I try. Not only shaken up by the wine-waiter, I ogle too the boy who pours the water. --Strat? Venus, denying Cupid is her son, Finds in Antiochus a better one. This is the boy to be enamored of, Boys, a new love superior to Love. --Meleager
Pulamadiboho: UBC Contracted
by P. M. Thinane M. E. Mofokeng M. R. Morajane T. P. LephuthingPulamadiboho ke pokello e fupereng mefuta e fapaneng ya dithothokiso, tse qotsitsweng dibukeng tsa dikonokono tsa dithothokisi tsa Basotho. Pokello ena e radilwe ka bokgoni le boqhetseke bo tswileng matsoho, ho nolofaletsa baithuti le matitjhere a kereti ya 12 mosebetsi. E radilwe ka sepheo sa ho neha baithuti thuto le tsebo tsa boemo bo hodimo. Baradi ba pokello ena ba entse mekutu yohle, ho etsa bonnete ba hore baithuti ba tla hodisa le ho leotsa bokgoni bo lebelletsweng ho bona sekolong ditsheng tsa thuto e phahameng le lefatsheng la mosebetsi ka kakaretso malebana le ho sekaseka kapa hona ho fatisisa dintho le ho di etsa hore di be le moelelo. Ka hare ho pokello ena dithothokiso di behilwe ka makgethe a tjena: thothokiso ka nngwe e latelwa ke selelekela se hlalosang mofuta wa thothokiso, ditaba tsa thothokiso tseo e leng kakaretso ya thothokiso le molaetsa/thuto ya thothokiso di hlahlame, mabalankwe a tshekatsheko/manollo ya thothokiso moo makgabane a hlahellang thothokisong ka nngwe a sekasekwang teng a nto latele. Ho feta moo, ho na le ditlhaloso tsa mantswe a ka bang le tshetiso e itseng ho mmadi ho utwisisa ditaba tsa thothokiso. Pheletsong ho teng mehlala ya mefuta e fapaneng ya dipotso le dikarabo tsa boemo bo hodimo, tse ka thusang baithuti hara selemo ho itokisetsa ditlhahlobo tsa makgaolakgang.
Pulamadiboho: UBC Uncontracted
by P. M. Thinane M. E. Mofokeng M. R. Morajane T. P. LephuthingPulamadiboho ke pokello e fupereng mefuta e fapaneng ya dithothokiso, tse qotsitsweng dibukeng tsa dikonokono tsa dithothokisi tsa Basotho. Pokello ena e radilwe ka bokgoni le boqhetseke bo tswileng matsoho, ho nolofaletsa baithuti le matitjhere a kereti ya 12 mosebetsi. E radilwe ka sepheo sa ho neha baithuti thuto le tsebo tsa boemo bo hodimo. Baradi ba pokello ena ba entse mekutu yohle, ho etsa bonnete ba hore baithuti ba tla hodisa le ho leotsa bokgoni bo lebelletsweng ho bona sekolong ditsheng tsa thuto e phahameng le lefatsheng la mosebetsi ka kakaretso malebana le ho sekaseka kapa hona ho fatisisa dintho le ho di etsa hore di be le moelelo. Ka hare ho pokello ena dithothokiso di behilwe ka makgethe a tjena: thothokiso ka nngwe e latelwa ke selelekela se hlalosang mofuta wa thothokiso, ditaba tsa thothokiso tseo e leng kakaretso ya thothokiso le molaetsa/thuto ya thothokiso di hlahlame, mabalankwe a tshekatsheko/manollo ya thothokiso moo makgabane a hlahellang thothokisong ka nngwe a sekasekwang teng a nto latele. Ho feta moo, ho na le ditlhaloso tsa mantswe a ka bang le tshetiso e itseng ho mmadi ho utwisisa ditaba tsa thothokiso. Pheletsong ho teng mehlala ya mefuta e fapaneng ya dipotso le dikarabo tsa boemo bo hodimo, tse ka thusang baithuti hara selemo ho itokisetsa ditlhahlobo tsa makgaolakgang.
Pumpkin Day! (Step into Reading)
by Candice Ransom Erika MezaIn this Step 1 Step into Reading early reader, a boy and his family visit a pumpkin patch to pick out perfect autumn gourds--just in time for Halloween! Buoyant rhymes and joyful art evoke the excitement of the season. Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words for children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.
Punks
by John KeeneA landmark collection of poetry by acclaimed fiction writer, translator, and MacArthur Fellow John Keene, PUNKS: NEW & SELECTED POEMS is a generous treasury in seven sections that spans decades and includes previously unpublished and brand new work. With depth and breadth, PUNKS weaves together historic narratives of loss, lust, and love. <p><p>The many voices that emerge in these poems--from historic Black personalities, both familial and famous, to the poet's friends and lovers in gay bars and bedrooms--form a cast of characters capable of addressing desire, oppression, AIDS, and grief through sorrowful songs that "we sing as hard as we live." At home in countless poetic forms, PUNKS reconfirms John Keene as one of the most important voices in contemporary poetry. <p><p>"John Keene's PUNKS is utterly brilliant. The range, vision, depth and humanity he brings to the page are as galactic as Banneker's astral wanderings, as crisp as the chordal cutting of a searching horn, as courageous and small as a nose wide open. Keene's masterfully inventive inquiry of self and history is queered, Blackened, and joyously thick with multitudes of voice and valence. Amen to this exploration!"--Tyehimba Jess <p><p>Poetry. African & African American Studies. LGBTQIA Studies.
Punragaman Sampurn Shayari Mariz: પુનરાગમન સંપૂર્ણ શાયરી ‘મરીઝ’
by Apurv Aasharપુનરાગમન સંપૂર્ણ શાયરી ‘મરીઝ’
Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax (Catholic Practice in North America)
by Michael N. McgregorThe only biography to receive awards from both the Association of Catholic Publishers and the Catholic Press Association in 2016. A companion piece to Thomas Merton's bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax tells the story of Merton's best friend and early spiritual inspiration. Written by a close friend of Lax, Pure Act gives an intimate view of a friendship and a life that affected Merton in profound ways. It was Lax, a daringly original poet himself, who encouraged Merton to begin writing poetry and Lax who told him he should desire to be a saint rather than just a Catholic. To the end of Merton's life, Lax was his spiritual touchstone and closest friend. Pure Act tells the story of poet Robert Lax, whose quest to live a true life as both an artist and a spiritual seeker inspired Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac, William Maxwell and a host of other writers, artists and ordinary people. Known in the U.S. primarily as Merton’s best friend and in Europe as a daringly original avant-garde poet, Lax left behind a promising New York writing career to travel with a circus, live among immigrants in post-war Marseilles and settle on a series of remote Greek islands where he learned and recorded the simple wisdom of the local people. Born a Jew, he became a Catholic and found the authentic community he sought in Greek Orthodox fishermen and sponge divers. In his early life, as he alternated working at the New Yorker, writing screenplays in Hollywood and editing a Paris literary journal with studying philosophy, serving the poor in Harlem and living in a sanctuary high in the French Alps, Lax pursued an approach to life he called pure act—a way of living in the moment that was both spontaneous and practiced, God-inspired and self-chosen. By devoting himself to simplicity, poverty and prayer, he expanded his capacity for peace, joy and love while producing distinctive poetry of such stark beauty critics called him “one of America’s greatest experimental poets” and “one of the new ‘saints’ of the avant-garde.” Written by a writer who met Lax in Greece when he was a young seeker himself and visited him regularly over fifteen years, Pure Act is an intimate look at an extraordinary but little-known life. Much more than just a biography, it’s a tale of adventure, an exploration of friendship, an anthology of wisdom, and a testament to the liberating power of living an uncommon life.