Description
Death haunts the pages of Natural Causes, but so does compassion and love. There is little darkness here, and less despair, despite the abundance of cemeteries, loss, and ghosts-both real and imagined.
Mark Cox's youthful bravado has given way in these poems to an assured sense of understatement. The weight of fatherhood, the loss of a grandmother, the fear of loneliness-these are the details around which Cox plumbs the depths of mortality and memory.
Fully comfortable with the domestic tableau from which he writes, this is a poet never complacent. The penchants for metaphor and the resonant turn of phrase that informed Cox's earlier work remain as vibrant as ever, indeed are heightened, as he masterfully affirms and celebrates the range of familial complexity and human connectedness.
About the Author
Mark Cox, professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has received many prominent honors and awards. He is the author of three previous books of poetry, including Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone.
Reviews
There's a gravity and a sorrowful wisdom in Mark Cox's new poems that make the work of most of the other poets of his generation seem frivolous. - David Wojahn; ""Unflinching and beautifully made, these poems seem cynical only at first glance - then perplexed and tender."" - Leslie Ullman; ""One of the best books I've read in years. In a style that's brash, offbeat, tough minded, and big hearted, these poems explore the fundamental mysteries of love between parent and child, self and other, self and world."" - Alan Shapiro; ""Tender beyond belief, uncannily lyrical, morbid and funny and smart, Cox is a master poet of the mystery of presence."" - Tony Hoagland
Book Information
ISBN 9780822958390
Author Mark Cox
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint University of Pittsburgh Press
Publisher University of Pittsburgh Press
Mark Cox's youthful bravado has given way in these poems to an assured sense of understatement. The weight of fatherhood, the loss of a grandmother, the fear of loneliness-these are the details around which Cox plumbs the depths of mortality and memory.
Fully comfortable with the domestic tableau from which he writes, this is a poet never complacent. The penchants for metaphor and the resonant turn of phrase that informed Cox's earlier work remain as vibrant as ever, indeed are heightened, as he masterfully affirms and celebrates the range of familial complexity and human connectedness.
About the Author
Mark Cox, professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has received many prominent honors and awards. He is the author of three previous books of poetry, including Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone.
Reviews
There's a gravity and a sorrowful wisdom in Mark Cox's new poems that make the work of most of the other poets of his generation seem frivolous. - David Wojahn; ""Unflinching and beautifully made, these poems seem cynical only at first glance - then perplexed and tender."" - Leslie Ullman; ""One of the best books I've read in years. In a style that's brash, offbeat, tough minded, and big hearted, these poems explore the fundamental mysteries of love between parent and child, self and other, self and world."" - Alan Shapiro; ""Tender beyond belief, uncannily lyrical, morbid and funny and smart, Cox is a master poet of the mystery of presence."" - Tony Hoagland
Book Information
ISBN 9780822958390
Author Mark Cox
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint University of Pittsburgh Press
Publisher University of Pittsburgh Press
