false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255796864m/3565588.jpg 3565588 1 <p>"A fabulous work of art. Your book list is all the richer for it."-Ingrid Wendt, author of <i>Singing the Mozart Requiem </i>and winner of the Oregon Book Award</p><p>Cass Dalglish translates the cuneiform of Enheduanna, a powerful Sumerian princess in 2350 BCE. <i>Nin-me-sar-ra</i>-the first signed poetry in history-begs the goddess Inanna (who entered the underworld and returned) for help overcoming a usurper. Adopting a jazz aesthetic, Dalglish improvises on her translations, re-examining the cuneiform through feminist lenses. Giving fresh interpretations to the originals, these poems form rhythmic riff s-like jazz musical improvisations-that carry the reader back to the lands of ancient Iraq during the time when gods were women.</p><p><i>And when you squat with your weaving<br>twisting and untwisting the threads of life, you harvest spirit, you reap breath, <br>you cradle souls at your breast, you let the flaws unravel. Your hands speak<br>in metaphor, they reach, they tell stories, they reach again, they want it all, <br>and there you are, counting, counting to seven, counting all there is; hours, days, <br>every moment squeezed in your fist, chained to your wrist bones, the universe tied<br>by silky cords to your mask.</i></p><p><b>Cass Dalglish </b>is a poet and novelist who studied Sumerian hieroglyphs to find women's earliest writing. She holds a PhD from Union Institute and is associate professor of English and chair of women's studies at Augsburg College. She was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award for her novel <i>Sweetgrass </i>(Lone Oak Press) and is the author of <i>Nin </i>(Spinsters Ink).</p> 3607781 1 10 2008 Humming the Blues: Inspired by Nin-Me-Sar-Ra, Enheduanna's Song to Inanna total:5|5:3|4:1|3:1|2:0|1:0| 5 22 10 4 5 0 false false Mon Sep 21 07:14:46 -0700 2009 Sat Dec 13 07:42:19 -0800 2008 Mon Sep 21 07:14:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 22 13:25:04 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 14:44:51 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Nov 08 14:23:03 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 08 14:25:19 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Oct 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 12 19:02:43 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 06 19:12:17 -0800 2008 http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.com/H...
]]> 0 0 false false Fri Oct 16 22:06:31 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 22:06:31 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue May 26 18:51:04 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 18:51:13 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Mar 25 13:22:27 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 11:16:05 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Mar 23 17:18:16 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 17:19:33 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 14:38:57 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 14:41:29 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 26 23:16:18 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 23:16:21 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3565588