Backsass - by Fred Chappell (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This collection of humorous and satiric verse takes its title from that thoroughly southern term meaning "irreverent retort," "ironic remark," or "scoffing observation." The ancient Roman poet Juvenal noted that his world made it hard not to write satire. Fred Chappell, finding his contemporary era analogous to that of imperial Rome, has in Backsass given in to the impulse for invective and mockery. Whether addressing the political, the poetical, or the practical, Chappell brandishes his lexical sword, ribbing our shortcomings, offering tonic advice, and occasionally shedding a tear for our fallen ideals. Some poetry is fine wine. Backsass is the driest of martinis.

Review Quotes

"This is the power of Fred Chappell, he makes us laugh at ourselves. . . . In an age when the value of humor seems to be rapidly diminishing, Chappell reminds us to take a moment to laugh: he reminds us what it truly means to be human."

About the Author

Fred Chappell is the author of a dozen previous books of verse, two story collections, and eight novels. A native of Canton in the mountains of western North Carolina, he has taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro since 1964. He is the winner of, among other awards, the Bollingen Prize in Poetry, Aiken Taylor Prize, T. S. Eliot Prize, and Roanoke-Chowan Poetry Prize seven times over.