Black Maria

by Kevin Young

Book Overview

Kevin Young follows his acclaimed exploration of the blues in Jelly Roll with another playful riff on a vital art form, giving us a film noir in verse. Black Maria -the title is a slang term for a police van as well as a hearse-is a twisting tale of suspicion, passion, mystery, and the city. Young channels the world of detective movies, picking up its lingo and dark glamour in five "reels" of poetry-the adventures of a "soft-boiled" private eye, known...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375710507
• ISBN13: 9780375710506
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent!

Kevin gives us a nice twist with Black Maria.The title is a slang for a police wagon or hearse. This collection is a blues based detective novel written in poems and is actually a screenplay.It takes a very talented writer to pull that off and Kevin has done it well. I read this novel/collection/play straight through. The story is captivating. What do you get when a sexy singer crosses paths with a drunken detective? A plot full of drama, the hunt, the chase and the catch and broken hearts.Bravo to Kevin for this refreshing mix. I've never read anything like it before. Lyrical Brilliance! Reviewed by Dawnny

The Beauty of Noir...I can hear the rain falling right now

This is an excellent collection of poems. I had the honor of hearing Mr. Young read excerpts on NPR the other morning. Oh, how I was instantly transported to that world of Noir. The rhythm, the imagery, the slang...it's wonderful. Anyone that's ever enjoyed Noir (think Orson Welles' Touch of Evil), you'll love this book.