My First Painting Will Be the Accuser

by Philip Jenks

Book Overview

"Jenks' poetry achieves its textual striation on the level of tone by shifting between narrative and sound-based passages, as well as between stretched-out lyrical sections and jagged, cutting... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976161206
• ISBN13: 9780976161202
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Zephyr Press
• Length: 70 Pages
• Weight: 0.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Incredible

I'm not a poet, so I feel hesitant at the thought of critiquing Philip Jenks' poetry. I know very little about poetic forms, linguistics, and the influences that may have played a part in the creation of "My First Painting will be 'The Accuser'". I am, however, quite talented at critiquing myself and the way a piece of writing makes me feel. While I am not a poet, Jenks' beautiful lines helped me discover the little poet hiding in the dark corners of my soul. "My First Painting will be 'The Accuser'" is quite different from Jenks' previous book, "On the Cave You Live In", in that the lines pack enough intensity to cement you to your seat, "forcing" you to 'unpack' the meaning for hours. If you enjoyed "On the Cave You Live In", Jenks' most recent offering will definitely be of interest to you; while it is different, this book has Jenks' signature style (simply unmistakable!) all over it. "My First Painting will be 'The Accuser'" is a somewhat darker collection of poems, but from my humble position as a reader, this book shows strong improvement from his previous book: the poems are tighter and more powerful. Philip Jenks' book leaves such a moving, lasting impression that I feel I have done its brilliance an injustice with this inadequate review. Then again, it IS difficult to articulate how incredible this book is when it leaves me nothing short of breathless.

pure genius, not that i'm surprised

FINALLY, again we are treated to reading something that refuses boundary, refutes this or that camp and at the end of the day, will stand (refusingly) among the Olsens and the Spicers and the Steins and the Barakas of days past. the author here seems to eschew the polemical without walking away from the vitality of the political as a way of being in the world.