This moving prose poem tells the story of an aged man who suffers a prolonged and ultimately fatal illness. From initial diagnosis to remission to relapse to death, the experience is narrated by the man's son, a practicing doctor. Charles Bardes, a physician and poet, draws on years of experience with patients and sickness to construct a narrative that links myth, diverse metamorphoses, and the modern mechanics of death. We stand with the doctors, the family, and, above all, a sick man and his disease as their voices are artfully crafted into a new and powerful language of illness.

About the Author
Charles Bardes is an internal medicine specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and professor of clinical medicine and associate dean at Weill Cornell Medical College. His books include Pale Faces: The Masks of Anemia, and his poems and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including Agni, Ploughshares, and Raritan.


Book Information
ISBN 9780226468020
Author Charles Bardes
Format Paperback
Page Count 64
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 85g
Dimensions(mm) 22mm * 14mm * 1mm