5 Degrees and Other Poems (Poets, Penguin)
by Nicholas Christopher
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"5[actual symbol not reproducible] is a thirty-five-part sequence of interlocking poems that form a vast, brilliant allegory, combining themes of magic, spiritual transcendence and exploration. In luminously crafted verse, Christopher combines such seemingly disparate subjects as the lives of Harry Houdini and the English mystic and mathematician John Dee (who invented a language in which he communicated with angels); the brief, stormy collaboration between Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh; show more the Nazi occupation of an Aegean island; the descent of Persephone to the underworld; lunar cartography, and the twin motifs of space voyages and Arctic explorations; and the emblematic characters of Shakespeare's Tempest. All of these themes and characters emanate from a single night in an enormous city in which it is 5[actual symbol not reproducible]. 5[actual symbol not reproducible] is surely one of the most important long poems by an American poet in recent times. The volume also contains twenty-five new lyric and narrative poems, with subjects ranging from Vietnam and Bosnia to life on remote Pacific islands, from the elegiac to the surreal. Most of these poems first appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Nation, and The Paris Review. Anthony Hecht has written that "Christopher's poetry is not merely extraordinarily good, but seems altogether in a class by itself." And in this, his fifth volume of poetry in twelve years, Christopher has further established himself as one of America's most distinguished and original poets."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved show lessTags
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5° is a poem of thirty-five interlocking parts that combines a seemingly strange set of images and subjects to form a whole. The poem takes place in a mysterious city in which it is 5°. The subjects seem totally disconnected- Houdini; John Dee, English mystic and mathematician; Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh; Nazi occupation; Persephone and the underworld; and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Each poem could stand on its own, but when read in sequence the images of iron, exploration, nightingales, ice, stars, coins, and angels begin to connect the poems intimately. There are allegorical and fantastical elements, but I’ll leave that to the individual reader. Christopher’s writing is very accessible, which is a way of saying that he show more doesn’t write holier-than-thou-snotty-abstract poems that take a PhD in literature to “understand.” At the same time, he is an inventive and skilled poet. 5° is an enjoyable read that sparks the imagination.
The book also includes twenty-five lyrical and narrative poems, including one of my favorites, “Terminus.” These poems range from the reflective coming-of-age poem “The Quiñero Sisters” to a reflection on the Los Angeles riots in 1992 in “May Day, 1992.” “The Palm Reader” gives the reader a glimpse into the all-too-human life of a – wait for it – palm reader. Her husband, drinking a beer, serves lunch to the kids in the living room on paper plates. Several of these poems also contain mystical elements, which seem to be a favorite of Christopher’s. “Your Father’s Ghost” contains a taxi driver with one are, one eye, and one ear. The car only has wheels on one side. In “Bees,” each of the five stanzas give a short magical quality of bees, ending with Cellini’s statue of Medusa with bees for hair instead of snakes. The statue emitted a low hum. These poems are intelligent and well-crafted; every reader can find something valuable that he or she can take away from this collection. show less
The book also includes twenty-five lyrical and narrative poems, including one of my favorites, “Terminus.” These poems range from the reflective coming-of-age poem “The Quiñero Sisters” to a reflection on the Los Angeles riots in 1992 in “May Day, 1992.” “The Palm Reader” gives the reader a glimpse into the all-too-human life of a – wait for it – palm reader. Her husband, drinking a beer, serves lunch to the kids in the living room on paper plates. Several of these poems also contain mystical elements, which seem to be a favorite of Christopher’s. “Your Father’s Ghost” contains a taxi driver with one are, one eye, and one ear. The car only has wheels on one side. In “Bees,” each of the five stanzas give a short magical quality of bees, ending with Cellini’s statue of Medusa with bees for hair instead of snakes. The statue emitted a low hum. These poems are intelligent and well-crafted; every reader can find something valuable that he or she can take away from this collection. show less
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20+ Works 1,826 Members
Nicholas Christopher was born in New York City and educated at Harvard where he studied poetry with Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. He is the author of sixteen books, including the novels Veronica, The Soloist, and Tiger Rag. His selected poems, Crossing the Equator, was published in 2004, and his first novel for children, The True Adventures show more of Nicholas Zen, was published last year. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Constance, and teaches at Columbia. show less
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