Testimony : The United States, 1885-1915 : recitative
by Charles Reznikoff
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A milestone of modern poetry, American history comes to life in the actual words of victims and criminals in its courts. Taking as its raw material the voices of witnesses, victims, and perpetrators discovered by the author in criminal court transcripts, Charles Reznikoff's book-length poem sets forth a stark panorama of late 19th and early 20th century America--the underside of the Gilded Age, beset by racism and casual violence, poverty and disease. In radically stripped-down language of show more tremendous intensity, Reznikoff's poem is an unforgettable reading experience. This edition also includes Reznikoff's prose studies for the poem, unavailable to readers since the 1930s, and a new introduction by critic and essayist Eliot Weinberger. show lessTags
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Mr. Reznikoff 1894-1976, grew up in New York City. As an attorney and poet he composed this "testimony" drawn from the law reports from several States, in the period 1885 to 1890. While we may be surprised by the amount of violence, we are also struck by its wanton diversity. He presents the cases without the judgments, awards, and sentencing. None of those things did any good.
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- Canonical title
- Testimony : The United States, 1885-1915 : recitative
- Original publication date
- 2015
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- Members
- 117
- Popularity
- 277,546
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.07)
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
