More than a decade after Jack Gilbert's "The Great Fires," this highly anticipated new collection shows the continued development of a poet who has remained fierce in his avoidance of the beaten path. In "Refusing Heaven," Gilbert writes compellingly about the commingled passion, loneliness, and sometimes surprising happiness of a life spent in luminous understanding of his own blessings and shortcomings: "The days and nights wasted . . . Long hot afternoons / watching ants while the cicadas railed / in the Chinese elm ...
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More than a decade after Jack Gilbert's "The Great Fires," this highly anticipated new collection shows the continued development of a poet who has remained fierce in his avoidance of the beaten path. In "Refusing Heaven," Gilbert writes compellingly about the commingled passion, loneliness, and sometimes surprising happiness of a life spent in luminous understanding of his own blessings and shortcomings: "The days and nights wasted . . . Long hot afternoons / watching ants while the cicadas railed / in the Chinese elm about the brevity of life." Time slows down in these poems, as Gilbert creates an aura of curiosity and wonder at the fact of existence itself. Despite powerful intermittent griefs-over the women he has parted from or the one lost to cancer (an experience he captures with intimate precision)-Gilbert's choice in this volume is to "refuse heaven." He prefers this life, with its struggle and alienation and delight, to any paradise. His work is both a rebellious assertion of the call to clarity and a profound affirmation of the world in all its aspects. It braces the reader in its humanity and heart.
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Add this copy of Refusing Heaven Poems to cart. $17.79, new condition, Sold by Books2anywhere rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven to cart. $20.56, very good condition, Sold by SELL BOOKS LTD rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2005 by Random House USA Inc.
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Very good. Our books are dispatched from a Yorkshire former cotton mill. We list via barcode/ISBN so please note that the images are stock images and may not be the exact copy you receive, furthermore the details about edition and year might not be accurate as many publishers reuse the same ISBN for multiple editions and as we simply scan a barcode or enter an ISBN we do not check the validity of the edition data when listing. If you're looking for an exact edition please don't order (at least not wit.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven to cart. $12.94, fair condition, Sold by Open Books Ltd rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Knopf.
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Fair. Water staining to bottom edge. Good, readable copy. Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that provides literacy experiences for thousands of readers each year through inspiring programs and creative capitalization of books.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven: Poems to cart. $13.22, very good condition, Sold by A1A Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Augustine, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven to cart. $19.00, good condition, Sold by Last Word Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Olympia, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Knopf.
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Good in Good jacket. Size: 6x0x8; A used book with light to moderate shelf wear to boards and dust jacket. Previous owner's bookplate inside. Photos and additional details upon request. Thank you for supporting Last Word Books and independent bookstores.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven Poems to cart. $25.69, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven Poems to cart. $26.92, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Refusing Heaven to cart. $28.00, like new condition, Sold by Common Crow Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pittsburgh, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf.
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Fine in near fine jacket. Black paper covered boards in dust jacket, octavo, not illustrated. Book has handsome boards and tight binding, text clean and unmarked. DJ has hint of rubbing.
