The House on Boulevard St.: New and Selected Poems

By David K. Kirby

Book Overview

Long-lined and often laugh-aloud funny, Kirby's poems are ample steamer trunks into which the poet seems to be able to put just about anything-the heated restlessness of youth, the mixed blessings of self-imposed exile, the settled pleasures of home. As the poet Philip Levine says, "the world that Kirby takes into his imagination and the one that arises from it merge to become a creation like no other, something like the world we inhabit but funnier and more full of wonder and terror. He has evolved a poetic vision that seems able to include anything, and when he lets it sweep him across the face of Europe and America, the results are astonishing." The poems in The House on Boulevard St. were written within earshot of David Kirby's Old World masters, Shakespeare and Dante. From the former, Kirby takes the compositional method of organizing not only the whole book but also each separate section as a dream; from the latter, a three-part scheme that gives the book rough symmetry.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807132152
• ISBN13: 9780807132159
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Meandering but meaningful

At the beginning of each poem, I wondered the purpose of the prose. It seemed to go nowhere, and it seemed like I was listening to an incoherent senile person. But at the end of each poem, the situations come together beautifully and every time, Kirby proves that instances that seem quite unrelated are actually deeply interconnected as part of the human experience.

My favorite book of poetry

This is my favorite book of poetry because it is literate, funny, and most important of all, accessible. In general, I'm not a fan of poetry. But Kirby makes it addicting and enjoyable and even sometimes laugh out loud funny. Worth every penny. Highly recommended.

short stories or poems?

I am not familiar with David Kirby's other works but I soon will be - nor have I encountered his style of writing that blends narrative story telling with poetic sensibilities. I feel as if I have discovered a new art form and a way of seeing the world that is colored with insight and whimsy - My Dead Dad is a great example: child like imagination with grown-up introspection. Thanks David Kirby!

Everyone should know David Kirby

Short and sweet this time--this is a gasser. Kirby has long been a literary favorite, but this is the collection that puts him on the map with Dunn, Collins, and Hirschfield. Normally, I try not to judge poetry collections by their awards, but in this case, the National Book Award should be a no-brainer (in fact, it has recently been nominated). If you love literary poetry that isn't short on soul, give this a run. If you hate poetry, this should be the first book you read--it might just come from the top ropes like Jimmy "Super-fly" Snooka, finish with a right cracking aesthetic elbow to the noggin.