The Day Underneath the Day

by C. Dale Young

Book Overview

Winner of 2002 Norma Farber First Book Award Finalist

Gifted with a vivid and exact skill, C. Dale Young's writing resembles an intricate anatomy lesson. His powers of observation probe the small energies of the natural world. Again and again the ordinary details of life transform themselves under the delicate pressure of his words--the movement of birds' wings, the color and texture of tropical flowers, the study of the ocean waves, the "scalpel...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810151111
• ISBN13: 9780810151116
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press
• Length: 68 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 3.8" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Simply Gorgeous

There seems to have been a good number of first collections of poetry published this year, and the generation of poets coming into being is certainly a strong one. Young, in particular, is a traditionalist in terms of approach, but these poems are by no means old-fashioned. They are concerned with family relationships (between child and parent; between men; between friends, etc.), the difficulty of making art true, and the colonial experiment in the Caribbean. I agree with many who have already pointed out his command of visual particulars. More than many in his generation, Young seems to almost paint with words and relies on the images he generates to make his arguments. It isn't that he is less concerned with language but that he uses language to make his points via image. A very beautiful book anyone interested in poetry should read.

Beautiful Book

A friend of mine bought this book at a reading in San Francisco a little while ago and recommended it to me. It is a beautiful book and, as others have mentioned here, the lushness of imagery is impressive. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who regularly reads poetry.

Truth & Beauty

Yes, C. Dale Young has written a gorgeous first collection, but beauty--of landscape, of the love between men, of art--is never for its own sake, and never at the disservice of truth. For underneath all of the fine details are concerns of exile and empire in his Caribbean poems (one in particular, "On Privilege," belongs in all of the anthologies); and the impermanence of art and love. This is a bold, polished, and often tender (see "Broughtonia") first book, filled with rich, complicated poems that repay rereading. Do not miss this book.

Confident and Masterful Verse

People here have already mentioned the visual nature of Young's poetry, but his work is much more complex than that. He is as much a master of mood and tone as he is of the visual. The third section of this book, which deals with the Caribbean and its history, is one of the most incredible mix of poems I have seen in years. These are among the best poems I have seen in magazines in the past few years and, when taken altogether, are simply amazing. This may be a first book, but these poems don't seem like poems you find in a first book at all. The confidence displayed in this collection is the confidence one earns after years and years of writing. This is definitely a poet to watch in the future.

Beautiful Debut

I have been reading C. Dale Young's poems in literary magazines for several years now, and I have always been struck by the powerful command he has over the visual. This realization has been amplified for me after reading his collection. Young has one of the most incredible gifts for seeing the particulars around us. And his language is rich, but only in service to what he sees. If you are looking for beautiful, graceful poems that move beyond the person out into the terrain, then you need to buy this book. Young is one of our best younger poets.