Black Wings & Blind Angels: Poems

by Sapphire

Book Overview

With fierce candor and an unflinching eye, the highly praised author of Push journeys through the harsh realities of African American existence to find the "door to the possibility of now." The heroes that emerge from these forty-seven vigorous poems confront the agony of betrayal as they strive in their quest for self-transformation and redemption. From the city streets to the rich landscape of dreams, each of these poems holds out the "black wings...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679767312
• ISBN13: 9780679767312
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

another urban landmark from Sapphire

From her early days when you could only hear her speak her words live Sapphire has been uncompromising, not eager to please (to say the least), and seemingly more than comfortable with the difficulties she presents through her poetry. Having witnessed her progress, one gets from this published volume the sense that she is still rising to her peak and has much more to offer. 'Controversy' comes to her from those who are predisposed to their own disgust and ill-equiped to face the results of how one may embrace the shadows or 'demons' that overpopulate the world we've created, get to be on speaking terms with them, and more than survive. This volume of poems hints that she is still finding things out about herself, lives with no fear, and long ago stopped waiting for the rules. Today there are multitudes of young poets who take on the spiritual horrors of the anti-society we live in. But there are no poets who match the scathingly beautiful voice Sapphire continues to make loud. If the two companies suing eachother in court over the rights to profit from the movie version of her novel Push don't get squashed under the influence of her power we'll soon have an emminently consumable form of her work. You can always hunt down Sapphire speaking her landmark poem Wild Thing live on the CD recording Nuyorican Symphony, Poetry Live from the Knitting Factory, if you want to experience her work the way it was meant to be.

Compelling, vivid poetry born of the Black experience.

Sapphire's Black Wings & Blind Angels provides the poetry of black writer Sapphire, which examines the black experience in America and the effects of racism and urban violence. A compelling account packed with vivid free verse images.

Sapphire a poetic jewel!

Sapphire's poetry is raw, rough and powered. She layers metaphor and creates images with a jazzy and urban tone. From her painful life she spawned this book, a masterpiece of emotion, as another hit to the poetic community, which is still rocking from "American Dreams."

Strong work from one of America's most gifted poets

Sapphire's poems are one-two punches. They are fiercely defiant. They are reconciliatory. The combination makes them unbelievably lovely. In that way, these poems are unlike many we see today: they are without pretense and overwhelmingly courageous. Shappire's music is beautiful, indeed. Rarely is a poet able to show us such tragedy and compel us to read on. Never once did I question her ability to guide me through the experience of these poems. What a tremendous success!!