Paperback / softback
January 13, 2014
9780888647276
English
80
9.00 Inches (US)
5.25 Inches (US)
0.20 Inches (US)
.3 Pounds (US)
$21.99 USD, £15.50 GBP
v2.1 Reference

as if

as if there could be no other memory a tree invisible remembering itself In as if, E.D. Blodgett takes readers on journeys of contemplation in which he re-imagines the lyric form. Each line leaves the reader breathless as it runs into the next to form a continuous cycle, a continued breath. The delicate syntax of each piece pushes one forward, ever forward. The poems are Dantesque, leading the traveller through a deeper, darker world. As a collection, as if constitutes an ars poetica of Blodgett's Apostrophes series. The poems explore the elements that make up the series-strict metrical patterns, the possibilities of breath, the endlessness and seamlessness of the spoken word, the incantation.

About the Author

E.D. Blodgett (1935-2018) published numerous books of poetry as well as diverse criticism and literary translations. He was Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at the University of Alberta. He won the Governor General's Award twice, for poetry and translation. From 2007 to 2009 he was Edmonton's Poet Laureate.

Reviews

"How succinctly Blodgett captures the fragility and incompleteness of human perception, and our powerful yearning to exceed these limitations.... With poetry, it's one thing to read the words; that happens quickly. Comprehending them is a slower process. Blodgett's poetry is unique, however—it forces you to read much more slowly the first time through. No doubt it's the even-paced phrasing, the deliberate and sparse language.... Poems to think about and think about again. To read, put down and consider, then read again."—Jay Smith

"Blodgett's latest book in his Apostrophes series is two books in one. Both are contemplations of wisdom and identity. The first is a book of poetry—words laid down in measure, printed on paper. Its words are made of artful language.... The second book is an energy field, conjured by a reader reading that first book. Its words are not human language but the ghosts of the earth, conjured by human speech.... Blodgett's consciousness is fluid here. His world moves between book, reader, memory, and earth with the surety of dream.... It is a bold undertaking, this business of bridging a half-century of Canadian poetry. Blodgett does it by making each physical word leave the book of words and enter the mind through the book of energies." [Full review at http://arcpoetry.ca/?p=8188#sthash.NwEPOoUQ.dpuf]—Harold Rhenisch, Arc Poetry
University of Alberta Press
Robert Kroetsch Series

9780888647276 : as-if-blodgett
Paperback / softback
80 Pages
$21.99 USD

Other Titles by E.D. Blodgett

Apostrophes VIII

E.D. Blodgett
Feb 2019 - University of Alberta Press
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Songs for Dead Children

E.D. Blodgett
Jan 2018 - University of Alberta Press
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Dramatic Licence

Louise Ladouceur, translated by Richard Lebeau, foreword by E.D. Blodgett
Jul 2012 - University of Alberta Press
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