A war and spy novel as well as a mystery, this is the story of a poet recruited in the spring of 1943 to write poetry for coding and decoding messages in the OSS. Jake Finny, a college senior in the reserves, finds himself dealing with a series of unexplained deaths in the Message Center. As he moves from Washington to Algiers to Italy, fearing for his life. He goes AWOL and seeks those committing these crimes, aided by the Italian girl his friend wanted to marry. As the pressure on him intensifies, he is haunted by the head of Counterintelligence, a famous poet whom he can't determine whether he is sympathetic to him or thinks he is implicated in these deaths. He has talked to him about the connection between poetry and counterintelligence and only later realizes to his sorrow what an important part the man has played in his life. The novel is not only about Jake and his situation but also about the workings of OSS and the conditions in Italy during the war. 4 photos. A Merriam Press World War II Novel.

A Stirring Collection of Verse Embark on an evocative journey through life and landscape with Poems, an acclaimed anthology by the peerless Elizabeth Bishop. This anthology places the reader at the heart of experience, rendering the grandeur of human existence and our symbiotic relationship with the natural realm, through precision-tuned verse that oscillates between humor and sorrow, acceptance and affliction. Bishop's artistry immerses us in evocative landscapes, from the nostalgic corners of New England, her childhood abode, to the vibrant hues of Brazil and the lush expanses of Florida, her later homes. Rich in geographical motifs, the collection navigates the intertwined tapestry of human life and nature, revealing the poet's intrinsic ability to render chaos into form. A vital presence in twentieth-century literature, this anthology forges an essential window into Bishop's world, offering a comprehensive view into her profound career. Whether you’re new to Bishop's work or a longtime admirer, you’ll discover the unique perspective she brought to English-language poetry, solidifying this anthology as a definitive cornerstone in any poetry collection.

Poem by Laure-Anne Bosselaar

In this powerful and authoritative study Jody Allen Randolph providesthe fullest account yet of the work of a major figure in twentieth-century Irish literature as well as in contemporary women’s writing. Eavan Boland’s achievement in changing the map of Irish poetry is tracked and analyzed from her first poems to the present. The book traces the evolution of that achievement, guiding the reader through Boland’s early attachment to Yeats, her growing unease with the absence of women’s writing, her encounter with pioneering American poets like Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and Adrienne Rich, and her eventual, challenging amendments in poetry and prose to Ireland’s poetic tradition. Using research from private papers the book also traces a time of upheaval and change in Ireland, exploring Boland's connection to Mary Robinson, in a chapter that details the nexus of a woman president and a woman poet in a country that was resistant to both. Finally, this book invites the reader to share a compelling perspective on the growth of a poet described by one critic as Ireland’s “first great woman poet.”

Virginia Woolf's playful exploration of a satirical »Oxbridge« became one of the world's most groundbreaking writings on women, writing, fiction, and gender. A Room of One's Own [1929] can be read as one or as six different essays, narrated from an intimate first-person perspective. Actual history blends with narrative and memoir. But perhaps most revolutionary was its address: the book is written by a woman for women. Male readers are compelled to read through women's eyes in a total inversion of the traditional male gaze. VIRGINIA WOOLF [1882–1941] was an English author. With novels like Jacob’s Room [1922], Mrs Dalloway [1925], To the Lighthouse [1927], and Orlando [1928], she became a leading figure of modernism and is considered one of the most important English-language authors of the 20th century. As a thinker, with essays like A Room of One’s Own [1929], Woolf has influenced the women’s movement in many countries.

The Room and the World: Essays on the Poet Stephen Dunn is the first book of its kind to explore and unpack the Pulitzer-winning poet’s oeuvre. Including twenty-four essays, a foreword by poet and essayist Dave Smith, and an introduction by Laura McCullough, this anthology illuminates Dunn’s development as a writer, his thematic obsessions, and his strategies and maneuvers on the page; it also locates him in the pantheon of essential American poets. Philosophical, funny, and founded on the juxtaposition of ideas with masterful tonal layering and texture, Dunn’s poems are considered some of the best of his generation. The contributing poets and scholars, including Dunn’s contemporaries and former students, highlight Dunn’s meditations on freedom and constraint, sexuality and sorrow, sound and sense, and the mystery in the dailiness of living. Fans will find this a crucial text that reveals the complexities of Dunn’s poetry and much about the man himself.

"Oser examines the twentieth-century literary clash between a dogmatically relativist modernism and a robust revival of Christian humanism. Reviewing English literature from Chaucer to Beckett, and the thoughts of philosophers, theologians, and modern literary critics, Oser challenges the assumption that Christian orthodoxy is incompatible with humanism, freedom, and democracy"--Provided by publisher.

In this walking tour of the city's literary history, Schafer explores Washington's culture, authors, bookstores, colleges, and literary meeting places.

He jumped from his improvised bed and looked up. The sky parted in two as if it was endeavouring to mirror his life. Neither the sky nor his life was ever a compact piece of peace since he had known about his being. Miaow...miaow...miaow...miaow. Was he awake, or dreaming? In the heart of the resplendent Balkans, a land forged by relentless wars yet always welcoming those in need, a destitute wanderer finds solace. But this is not a tale that unfolds in ordinary fashion, for the human experience is a tapestry of contrasts. Within the pages of this extraordinary journey, a tapestry interwoven with melancholic humour and bittersweet poignancy, lie the unheard voices of characters yearning to be heard. As if borne upon the wings of a time-travelling vessel, traversing lands and ages, the enigmatic Atom Butterfly stumbles upon an unassuming soul named Sevda, whose presence unexpectedly illuminates his existence. And so, their story commences – a tale of reminiscence, where childhood revisited unveils the battles fought during times of scarcity, when satisfaction eluded their grasp, and yet resilience prevailed.

"In this powerhouse debut, Thomas Sayers Ellis in one poem prognosticates, "Pretty soon, the Age of the Talk Show / Will slip on a peel left in the avant-gutter." The result is The Maverick Room, the testing ground of determination and serendipity, where call and response becomes Steinian echo becomes hip-hop becomes a bootlegged recording hustled out a DC go-go club. With its defiance for any one tradition or voice, Ellis's debut collection becomes a powerful argument against monotony-just when "All their stanzas look alike," just when language fails in the face of catastrophe, just when, as Ellis confesses, "the twin terrors at the center of the word dollar / have made me and my craft liar-cowards." -- Publisher's description.