{"product_id":"hang-gliding-from-helicon-daniel-hoffman-9780807114537","title":"Hang-Gliding from Helicon: New and Selected Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen Daniel Hoffman published a brief volume of selected poems in England, the \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e praised \"his zestful verbal performance, supple use of rhyme and other sound effects\" that \"make the processes of his writing interesting.\" That same vitality and interest inform \u003ci\u003eHang-Gliding from Helicon, \u003c\/i\u003ewhich presents more than forty new poems and a generous selection from six of Hoffman's previous books. Commenting on the most recent of these in the \u003ci\u003eSouthern Review, \u003c\/i\u003eMonroe K. Spears wrote, \"Hoffman's new volume seems to me to establish his claim to the title of major poet.\" In the \u003ci\u003eNew Republic, \u003c\/i\u003e Josephine Jacobsen observed: \"Three major strands knit into a strong texture: myth, history, and immediate experience . . . What he once wrote of Robert Graves is true of his own work: both combine 'A Dionysian compulsion to belief with an Apollonian clarity of presentation.'\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the opening piece of this volume, entitled \"The Poem,\" Hoffman writes: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTrue to itself, by what craft\u003cbr\u003e And strength it has, it has come\u003cbr\u003e As a sole survivor returns \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the steep pass.\u003cbr\u003e Carved on memory's staff\u003cbr\u003e The legend is nearly decipherable.\u003cbr\u003e It has lived up to its vows \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIf it endures\u003cbr\u003e The journey through the dark places\u003cbr\u003e To bear witness, \u003cbr\u003e Casting its message\u003cbr\u003e In a sort of singing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHoffman's poetry is a celebration of life, yet some of his poems have dark implications. \"The City of Satisfactions\" is a journey into the haunted heart of the American dream. \"The Center of Attention\" portrays a suicidal man being taunted by a crowd to jump from a bridge, and \"Witnesses\" explores the aftermath of a car wreck on a desolate stretch of rural highway. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach of Hoffman's poems represents a striking response to the moments of being alive. \u003ci\u003eHang-Gliding from Helicon \u003c\/i\u003eaffirms the power of poetry to make possible the acceptance and transformation of life. Daniel Hoffman has given us a remarkable statement of his deep poetic faith.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Daniel Hoffman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0807114537\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780807114537\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e LSU Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/1988\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 236\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.77lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.54d","brand":"Daniel Hoffman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46383871328511,"sku":"9780807114537","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_bd7772a6-ebe4-4899-9fe0-25eef9de627f.jpg?v=1733281920","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/hang-gliding-from-helicon-daniel-hoffman-9780807114537","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}