**A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2012**
Lew Welch was a brilliant and troubled poet, legendary among his
Beat peers. Ring of Bone collects poems, songs, and even a few
drawings, documenting the full sweep of his creative output, from
his early years until just before his death. This new edition
includes a biographic timeline and a statement of poetics gleaned
from Welch's own writing.
Welch entered Reed College in 1948, and the following year moved
into a house with Gary Snyder; they were soon joined by Philip
Whalen. With the emergence of the Beat movement, Welch's friends
began receiving national attention and his desire to devote himself
completely to his poetry was galvanized. He soon became a part of
the San Francisco poetry scene.
Legendary editor Donald Allen included Welch's poetry in The New
American Poetry - the seminal anthology published in 1960. That
same year Welch's first book, Wobbly Rock, was released. He
continued to write extensively, and in 1965 published three books.
Despite his burgeoning success, Welch suffered from bouts with
depression, and on May 23, 1971, Gary Snyder went up to Welch's
campsite in the Sierra Nevada mountains and found a suicide note.
Despite an extensive search, Welch's body was never recovered.
"Lew Welch writes lyrical poems of clarity, humor, and dark
probings . . . jazz musical phrasings of American speech is one of
Welch's clearest contributions." --Gary Snyder
..".Music permeates his poems, which range from scored lyrics to
epistolary correspondence to formal villanelles... It's fascinating
to trace the evolution of this artist, from his early, lax,
exultant style to his later, less jubilant work, characterized by
benedictions, invocations, and requests. This is a necessary read
for anyone interested in the greater Beat movement and its
progenitors."--Booklist
""His luminous poems feel as vibrant today as when they first burst
from the wellsprings of creativity in his own head... A postmodern
Walt Whitman. . ."--San Francisco Chronicle
"In the poet's own words, " Ring of Bone]" is a spiritual
autobiography . . . no better description of him exists than that
which came in his own vision, deep in the wilds of the Klamath
Mountains, the poem after which the collection is titled. . . .
These 40 years later, Lew, you are missed."--"The Rumpus"
""Ring of Bone: Collected Poems" is Welch's major work. Exuberant,
funny, dark, hypnotic, Welch's poems are as infused with nature as
Gary] Snyder's and as spiritually alive as Philip] Whalen's.
They're technically brilliant, grounded in form and wildly
experimental. . . ."--"The Oregonion"
General
Imprint: |
City Lights Books
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2023 |
First published: |
June 2012 |
Authors: |
Lew Welch
|
Afterword by: |
Gary Snyder
|
Dimensions: |
230 x 145 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
262 |
Edition: |
New & Expanded Edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-87286-579-2 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-87286-579-7 |
Barcode: |
9780872865792 |
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