Poet in New York

Frederico Garcia Lorca's Poet in New York is a lush collection of poems written during a nine month period he spent in the city (1929-1930). These poems are so richly lyrical. It is like eating the most high quality dense chocolates. His imagery is classic and naturalistic, and his sentiment is poetic and aching. These are poems of sad lament. These are poems that cry out, that mostly wail, though at times they whisper.

His language is unforgettable. Some favorite lines:

"Prepare your skeleton.
Hurry, love, hurry, we've go to look
for our sleepless profile."

"and the Jew pushed against the gate chastely the way lettuce grows coldly from its center."

"The architecture of frost"

"This is not hell, but the street."

"Look at this sad fossil world"

"While the people look for pillowed silences
you will pulse forever, defined by your ring."

"It's a capsule of air where we suffer the whole world,
a tiny space alive in the crazy unison of light"

"What matters is this: emptied space. Lonely world. River's mouth."

I also want to share something from the beginning of the volume, a note Lorca wrote to a friend describing his own passport photo: "

"It borders on the light of murder; borders on the nocturnal street corner where the delicate pick-pocket stashes his wad of money. The whimsical lens has captured, over my shoulder, a sort of harp, soft as a jellyfish, and the whole atmosphere has a certain finite tic, like the ash of a cigarette..."

Peter Bruno and Joe Elliot at The Shed Space

I attended such a marvelous reading tonight at The Shed Space, a lovely, intimate art space in Park Slope.

Peter Bruno read several exquisitely crafted stories from the manuscript, Garibaldi Avenue, that focus on the youthful experiences of Salvatore in New Jersey during the 60s and 70s.  I know it is totally corny to say, but these stories are tender and tough. They are finely detailed vignettes that capture a lost time. For instance the closely observed description of the boy's mother applying heavy makeup -- a suburban mom envisioning herself in her own mirror as a glamorous movie star. There were so many very moving moments in these bittersweet, and beautifully written stories. I can't wait for the opportunity to read the whole thing.

(Also an aside: "house dresses"! Where did they come from and why? And where did they go? -- what a blast from the past!)

The second reader of the evening was the amazing Joe Elliot, a poet I have heard about for years but never had the pleasure of hearing his work. These poems totally rocked. They are wry and funny but also depict a kind of profound awareness of the daily absurdity of life. These poems have an exuberant energy that is uplifting at the same time that they convey heavier and difficult truths. I just ordered two of his poetry books.

Miranda July in Conversation with Lena Dunham

Last night I attended a wonderful event at BAM: a talk between Lena Dunham and Miranda July about July's new novel. I recently finished, and adored, The First Bad Man, and it was so exciting to hear the author discuss her work. She talked a lot about what the writing process was like for her, and her ideas and feelings about the characters and events in the novel. Lena Dunham asked great questions, and spoke about her own reactions to certain parts. This was very interesting, and made me question my own reactions. I read The First Bad Man so quickly, that maybe I didn't fully absorb what was happening. That's what made this conversation so valuable to me -- it deepened my experience of the work.

There were also lots of fun and humorous anecdotes, and lots of laughter. The two writers are friends IRL and I think this added to the fun.

Black Mirror

I had a little trouble with Black Mirror: The Selected Poems of Roger Gilbert-Lecomte. The writing is beautiful, but I was never fully drawn in. Somehow I didn't fully enter these poems. I enjoyed much of the lyricism and rich language. Many, many lines stood out for me. But few entire poems grabbed me.

"The pallor/of one's foibles."

"To the forever unfinished and ever agonized/Human face"

"Become the secret of blind change"

"To loathe myself and drink through my thin skin"

"The prodigious appearance of the lovely monsters it creates"

My favorite: "To me alone a lovely scandal"

Lovely and Amazing

I first watched Lovely and Amazing probably over a decade ago, and was blown away at the time. I just saw it again and it totally holds up.

It is a painful look at a family of women -- a woman who is getting liposuction, her two grown daughters, and her adopted 8 year old daughter. The story centers around the operation, and provides a very close look at the small sufferings of each flawed and struggling character. The movie explores female experiences of body and appearance, validation from men, insecurity, resentment, and anger. One terrific moment after another, many depicting tiny cruelties and disappointments.

The Wolf of Wall Street

I kinda hated The Wolf of Wall Street. I was repulsed by the whole thing. Yet I watched for three hours. It details the excesses of Wall Street, and tells the story of Jordan Belfort, an asshole who became a broker and rose to riches.

One of the things I hated was how meaningless and gross these riches were: prostitutes and drugs mostly. An incredibly exhausting amount of each. I know some people might look at this lifestyle and think, "Wow! That looks like fun!" -- but it made me feel like there's no reason to crave wealth because there's nothing to do with it.

I guess The Wolf of Wall Street was successful as a critique of materialism. And there was something about it that made me keep watching in spite of my repulsion. It was just so impossible to relate to on any level.

The First Bad Man

I just finished The First Bad Man by Miranda July, and it is AMAZING!!! I loved her book of short stories and was so excited when I recently learned a novel was coming. My copy came right away, pre-ordered!

The First Bad Man starts off wonderfully -- with a neurotic and sweet narrator who is a painfully exquisite observer of her internal world. The interiority here is fascinating and intense and brilliant. I expected little in the ways of plot, however, thinking that the character study would carry the novel. I was wrong! The story really revs up in a complex and satisfying way. Cheryl, who is 43, has her life thrown into chaos when her bosses ask her to take in their 20 year old daughter. The unique dynamic between them, and the way it shifts and develops is the heart of the novel.

There are a number of surprises, but it is all held together by the odd yet logical consistency of Cheryl's voice. There are many, many hilarious moments in this book, but also many that are painful, and many that are oddly beautiful. By the end I was in tears of happiness, so pleased.

I loved The First Bad Man so much. I don't know what I'll do until Miranda July writes another book!