My Lookalike at the Krishna Temple - by Jacqueline Osherow (Paperback)

About the Book

"Winner of L.E. Phillabauni Poetry Award for 2019."

Book Synopsis

In My Lookalike at the Krishna Temple, Jacqueline Osherow considers expressions of spirituality from cultures all over the world and investigates previously unexplored aspects of her relationship to Judaism and Jewish history. While some poems reflect on practitioners of self-imposed isolation, from the monks in Fra Angelico's frescoed cells to Emily Dickinson to the Kotzker Rebbe, others explore topics as varied as architecture, geometry, faith, war, and genocide. Osherow finds beauty in Joseph's dreams, the euphony of crickets, and the gamut of symmetries on display in the Alhambra. The scent of lindens serves as a meditative bridge between Darmstadt, Germany, alien and unnerving, and a familiar front porch in Salt Lake City, where the poet freely engages with the natural world: "Don't worry, moon; we all lose our bearings. / You don't have to rise. Stay here instead. / I'll spot you; we could both use an ally / and rumor has it disorientation / is the least resistant pathway to what's holy." Osherow takes readers on a journey as tourists and global citizens, trying to find meaning in an often painful and chaotic world.

Review Quotes

"I've read and admired most of Jacqueline Osherow's astonishing works, but now I must call a new poem, Poems from the Alhambra (for it is a single poem) a triumph, for it's her comical and almost wildly precise expression of what she sees, what it means, and what she loves. It's a long and demanding poem, and part of a wonderful group of poems in My Lookalike at the Krishna Temple. I urge anyone who wants to learn what can be discovered and cherished to read it."--Richard Howard

"Jacqueline Osherow's breezy tone and offhanded technical virtuousity are so pleasurable that they can almost (almost) distract us from the deep feeling that wells up in her poems. Here she numbers her losses, some of which are terrible, and marvels at the sacredness of the world. It is gratifying to read a poet working at the top of her powers."--Edward Hirsch

About the Author

Jacqueline Osherow is Distinguished Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Utah and the author of seven previous books of poems. She has won many honors for her work, including a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Witter Bynner Prize from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.