About this item
Highlights
- In her first poetry collection in more than a decade, celebrated novelist and poet Lynn Crosbie creates a sustained and confessional record of her father's illness.The Corpses of the Future is a sustained, confessional new collection of poems by Lynn Crosbie.
- About the Author: Lynn Crosbie was born in Montreal and is a cultural critic, author, and poet.
- 160 Pages
- Poetry, Canadian
Description
Book Synopsis
In her first poetry collection in more than a decade, celebrated novelist and poet Lynn Crosbie creates a sustained and confessional record of her father's illness.
The Corpses of the Future is a sustained, confessional new collection of poems by Lynn Crosbie. It tells the story of her father's battle with frontotemporal dementia and blindness following a stroke. The poems chronologically recount the poet's conversations and time with her father and capture his still-astonishing means of communicating. The book's title is his sardonic remark. Crosbie considers dementia to be a symbolic language, and as such similar to poetry. The author's attempts to understand her father's distress, pain, fear, and brave love are assisted by her understanding of the "negative capability" required of readers of poetry.
This is a harrowing book, with moments of joy and even levity. It is a collection of poetry about love, and love's persistence, even under the most unspeakable circumstances.
Review Quotes
[U]nswerving in honesty and high in impact. . . . You'd have to be half-dead or worse not to weep, rejoice and rage when the speakers of these poems take you to the edge and offer 'some faint, still powerful memories, of love and mercy' as salve.-- "Globe and Mail"
Crosbie at her best.-- "Hamilton Review of Books"
About the Author
Lynn Crosbie was born in Montreal and is a cultural critic, author, and poet. A Ph.D in English literature with a background in visual studies, she teaches at the University of Toronto and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her books (of poetry and prose) include Pearl, Queen Rat, and Dorothy L'Amour. She is also the author of the controversial book, Paul's Case and most recently, Life Is About Losing Everything and Where Did You Sleep Last Night. She is a contributing editor at Fashion, and a National Magazine Award Winner who has written about sports, style, art, and music.