The Venus Hottentot
Elizabeth Alexander's highly praised first collection is available once again\ I didn't want to write a poem that said "blackness\ is," because we know better than anyone\ that we are not one or ten or ten thousand things\ Not one poem\ -from "Today's News"\ Originally published in 1990 to widespread acclaim, The Venus Hottentot introduces Elizabeth Alexander's vital poetic voice, distinguished even in this remarkable first book by its examination of history, gender, and race with an uncommon...
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Elizabeth Alexander's highly praised first collection is available once againI didn't want to write a poem that said "blacknessis," because we know better than anyonethat we are not one or ten or ten thousand thingsNot one poem -from "Today's News"Originally published in 1990 to widespread acclaim, The Venus Hottentot introduces Elizabeth Alexander's vital poetic voice, distinguished even in this remarkable first book by its examination of history, gender, and race with an uncommon clarity and music. These poems range from personal memory to cultural history to human personae: John Coltrane, Frida Kahlo, Nelson Mandela, and "The Venus Hottentot," a nineteenth-century African woman who was made into a carnival sideshow exhibit. In language as vibrant within traditional forms as it is within improvisational lyrics, the poems in The Venus Hottentot demonstrate why Alexander is among our most dazzling and important contemporary poets and cultural critics."Alexander creates intellectual magic in poem after poem."—The New York Times Book ReviewLibrary JournalThis strong collection of poems explores the realm of African-American culture. The poems interweave blues, jazz, art, and ancestry into historical compositions, all rendered in sharp imagery. Witness these lines from ``A Poem for Nelson Mandela'': ``I smell barbecue from every direction/and hear black hands tolling church bells,/hear wind hissing through elm trees/through dry grasses.'' It is evident that Alexander has an eye for accuracy in describing the past as well as the present, but this work is more than reportage; it is a very imaginative collection of poems that should appeal to many readers. The subject matter is varied and well thought out and, yes, most libraries should have a copy.-- Le nard D. Moore, Writer-in-Residence, Wake Cty. Arts Council, N.C.
The Venus Hottentot5West Indian Primer13Ode14Ladders15Zodiac16The Dirt-Eaters17Who I Think You Are20House Party Sonnet: '6621Nineteen22Omni - Albert Murray25Robeson at Rutgers30Van Der Zec31Bearden33Deadwood Dick34John Col35Painting37Monet at Giverny38Farewell to You39Penmanship43Letter: Blues44Boston Year46Kevin of the N. E. Crew47Four Bongos: Take a Train48"Radio Days"49Miami Footnote50"Ala"51A Poem for Nelson Mandela52Today's News54Preliminary Sketches: Philadelphia55
\ From the Publisher"Readers owe themselves the many pleasures to be found in this book; Elizabeth Alexander creates intellectual magic in poem after poem." —The New York Times Book Review\ "The poems are catchy, seductive, steeped in history, more rewarding on successive readings. The Venus Hottentot is a superb first book," —Poetry\ "One of the most exciting books of poetry to come out in a very long time. An extraordinary new voice has been added to literature." —People\ \ \ \ \ \ Library JournalThis strong collection of poems explores the realm of African-American culture. The poems interweave blues, jazz, art, and ancestry into historical compositions, all rendered in sharp imagery. Witness these lines from ``A Poem for Nelson Mandela'': ``I smell barbecue from every direction/and hear black hands tolling church bells,/hear wind hissing through elm trees/through dry grasses.'' It is evident that Alexander has an eye for accuracy in describing the past as well as the present, but this work is more than reportage; it is a very imaginative collection of poems that should appeal to many readers. The subject matter is varied and well thought out and, yes, most libraries should have a copy.-- Le nard D. Moore, Writer-in-Residence, Wake Cty. Arts Council, N.C.\ \
