Core Samples from the World by Forrest Gander

by Forrest Gander

Forrest Gander’s Core Samples from the World is a magnificent compendium of poetry, photography, and essay (a form of Japanese haibun). Collaborating with three acclaimed photographers, Gander explores tensions between the familiar and foreign. His eloquent new work voices an ethical concern for others, exploring empathic relations in which the world itself is fundamental. Taking us around the globe to China, Mexico, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Chile, Core Samples shows how Gander’s “sharp sense of place has made him the most earthly of our avant-garde, the best geographer of fleshly sites since Olson” (Donald Revell,The Colorado Review).

Genres: Poetry, Photography

Paperback

First published June 8, 2011

About the author

Born in the Mojave Desert, Forrest Gander grew up in Virginia and spent significant periods in San Francisco, Dolores Hidalgo (Mexico), and Eureka Springs, Arkansas before moving to Rhode Island. He holds degrees in literature and in geology, a subject that recurs in his writing and for which his work has been connected to ecological poetics.

Collaboration has been an important engagement for Gander who, over the years, has worked with artists such as Ann Hamilton, Sally Mann, Eiko & Koma, Lucas Foglia, Ashwini Bhat, Richard Hirsch & Michael Rogers. He also translates extensively and has edited several anthologies of contemporary poetry from Latin America, Spain, and Japan.

He writes across the genres. A recent project with the Chilean poet Raul Zurita is Pinholes in the Night Essential Poems from Latin America. Other titles by Gander include The Trace, a novel set on the border with Mexico; Fungus Skull Eye Wing Selected Poems of Alfonso D'Aquino, translations; and Redstart an Ecological Poetics, essays and poems written with John Kinsella. Gander's 2011 book of poems, Core Samples from the World, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Reviews

[Gabriel Congdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY CRAP! This is one of the best damn poetry books I've read in hot minute!
Truth be told, I've been on a cold streak in the matter of poe-try (Stephen Dunn's blurbs have become suspect. Kirby's blurbs are still spot on ((expect one)) KIR-BY! KIR-BY KIR-BY!) I thought maybe It & I were washed up, through.
Then I gandered this Gander.
It's just, different, it's not my loafty philosophical hi-jazz I love, nor the domestic paper-matche jewels I adorn. It's like, different. They're all over the map. Two styles too, prose-poems, and, uhhh, um, non-prose poems. Regular poems. I guess.
Anyway, I shouldn't gush. Poetry is a private experience, I shouldn't be saying anything. None of us should! It's like that Wittgenstein quote, we just, shouldn't talk about it!
To quote a John Ashberry blurb (it's how transnavigate, people!) I think readers of modern literature would like these poems.

[Paula Koneazny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is organized as 4 series of three poems/writings. The first of each group is an "Evaporation" poem, lineated, dedicated & lyrical. Intimate. There is always a "she."
The second piece in each series is a photo essay-poem, a collaboration with a photographer & the black & white photos are almost uniformly stellar. These are in various poetic forms. Non specific locations or not AS specific as the locales in the third section of each group. These poems are "revealed always in situation." These poems are built upon repetitions, which create an incantatory, hallucinatory effect. The least effective of these photo/essay pieces is, to my mind, the last, "Lovegreen," with photos by Raymond Meeks. Unlike earlier pieces, this poem seems written to the images, as if the images must precede the words, rather than form in conjunction with them.
Even so, there are word pictures that do not describe photos (there is no boy in the photos)as well as photos that aren't doubled in words (like the jars filled with pond creatures, both innocent play & shadow of lab-filled jars of formaldehyde-preserved amphibians) & we can't see the birds that are purportedly captured on film. They may be in the photos, but we can't find them out.
The third selection in each series is in haibun form, a prose poem (or simply prose) interjected with what appear to be three line haikus (on closer inspection, however, these do not follow the traditional 5, 7, 5 syllabic form, but are of irregular & varying length). These prose pieces are accounts of a poet's journey, specific journeys to specific countries to participate in colloquiums of international poets, & the poet's journey into other cultures and languages through the work of translation. The countries/ cultures visited are those of China, Mexico, Bosnia & Chile. The final journey to Chile, like the preceding photo essay of Part 4, is different than those of the first three sections. Here the poet travels solo. He seems more isolated, less integrated into the foreign place. The poets he is among remain absent: Nicanor Parra doesn't meet with him when he goes to the poet's house & when Parra drives into town to see him, Gander isn't at his hotel. So the meeting is aborted. He visits Neruda's house, but Neruda is dead. The vigil must be constant for the icon to appear, for the icon to accept the invitation. This, unlike earlier journey poems, is about NOT making connection, of feeling the full strangeness of one's outsider situation. Ultimately, however, "at last he's in rhythm with the local" but this integration in the here and now, self in other, feels unstable & contingent. For this moment, but perhaps not for tomorrow.
His estrangement is somewhat mitigated, but in a universal, cosmic rather than particular sense (despite claims of integration in the local). He hasn't really connected with anyone in this place.

The structure of the book recapitulates the breadth & variety of Gander's oeuvre in general. His lyrical, related but stand-alone poems, his extensive work as a translator, especially of Mexican poets, but also his forays into Japanese (winked at so to speak here by use of the tweaked haibun form), & his works of collaboration with photographers. These last works veer toward document & witness. They have a social & ecological component.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am glad I read Core Samples from the World for its artistic merit, I cannot say I was necessarily moved or even inspired by this collection of poetry. The book is divided into four parts, each with the same stylistic pattern:

"Evaporation" - very fragmented, like pieces of an overheard conversation
Photographic Poems - this is my term for poetry set to amazing black and white photographs
Haibuns - a literary form that originated in Japan and combines prose and haiku

The four "Evaporation" pieces are too fragmented for me to even follow, and the four Haibuns are basically travel diaries relating Gander's trips to various renowned poet conferences, which I found a bit self-serving (dare I say arrogant?). While the haikus are lovely, they are too few and far between the dense, intellectually dry prose.

My favorite part of the collection is the Photographic Poem in Part Three, entitled "Moving Around for the Light, A Madrigal" with amazing photographs of people who have chosen to live outside of society - in the wilderness - gone "survivalist." Here is a snippet (and I am unable to recreate the layout due to HTML limitations):

... Ever eat a blue heron?
Supervisor said there's no common law
in Virginia. We don't know how fast it's going

to happen. Food's going to be
number one. Next is going to be
ammo. We figure we'll end up feeding

a lot of outsiders. Took my eye off it for 3 seconds.
First thought was Oh shit. It's
a right, it's always been a right.

The difference between me and other people.
We'll care for ourselves, let us alone.
I've got it laid out real clear.

Biggest problems come from being
disconnected. Beavers, otters, deer, raccoon. I've
eaten owl. Hard to feed yourself for a year.

Milk goats are the most valuable thing
you can have. Banks go down, people can't get
money, they'll see what they need.

Food's number one. And next
is going to be ammo. If bad goes to worse,
we'll post a man to keep out strangers ...

[The poem ends with:]
Let's get this process right.
Want to find my bearings in what's real.
Move in a way that's more connected.

The photos that go with this poem are beautiful and visually haunting: a shirtless toddler girl standing at the doorway of what appears to be a hut; the same girl on the chest of her father, who is nearly completely submerged under water except for his bearded face; a beautiful young woman covered only by a wild fox/bobcat wrap.

I also enjoyed Part Four's photographic poem, "Lovegreen," which is a more gentle read about summer days in the countryside - again, with lovely images to support it.

The collection was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and I can see why. Overall, I was happy to add this book to my collection and will revisit these poems and photos again.

[Liam Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gander's collection typifies modern poetry. Most of the pieces more resemble essays of his own travels. Perhaps attempting to make us feel along with him, he interposes a lot of foreign words and phrases. After reading this I absolutely carry no interest in visiting the places he did. I am simply not that adventurous. The photographs add a great deal to the collection. At time it seems he bases the poems off the photos.

I enjoy his ability to take us to Bosnia, remote parts of China and Chile and feel like I was alongside of him. Especially when he describes foods and drinks, some were disgusting to me. But hey, what I eat may horrify a Chilean!

Overall, this was fun to read.

[dr_schiele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given the field of finalists, this should have won the Pulitzer Prize hands down.

[Ken Hada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another elegant reminder of the deeper issues of our world are unique and often overlooked, but also how similar the human spirit really is. I recommend this.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful poet--I picked this up out of geeky interest in antropology and walked away enlightened by the glory of his phrasing and words. Sigh.

[Peycho Kanev · Rating 3 out of 5]

MALINALCO

Invited by one of the clinic regulars
to a wake for his child, I’m pressed
to the coffin in which the dead girl lies
dressed as an angelita. Her brothers
herd into the hall where la señora anciana
bestows each with the talismanic
name of an animal or bird. Late
in the evening,
at the bar of a restaurant known for its sopa
de maiz con tabasco, I find you eating
with your fingers. Your neck, when I
kiss it, smells like plantain
and oregano.

Who’s there? you ask.

[Richard Subber · Rating 1 out of 5]

For me, this doesn’t pass for poetry.
Gander’s style is carefree, sloppy, with too much deliberate jumbling, too many unleashed phrases, and too many lonely words.
Core Samples from the World has nothing elegant that I could find.

Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com

[Castles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those short stories of each section of the book, surprisingly, really did it for me. an interesting taste from different cultures and world, written with sharp observation.

[Eve Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forrest Gander’s Core Samples from the World is a poetic travel memoir/journal with black and white photographs by Raymond Meeks, Graciela Iturbide, and Lucas Foglia. There are four sections, one each for XinJiang, Mexico, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Chili. I sincerely wish all American poets who get an opportunity to travel internationally make a point to share their experiences and memories before they evaporate into nothingness. Each of the 4 sections has a loose introduction poem called Evaporation that sets the scene. Most of the other poems are in Haibun form, a form which is typically prose interspersed with haiku. Gander’s haiku are mainly short three line poems that many traditional haiku poets would not view as true haiku. That fact doesn’t negatively impact the poems. I thought they were excellent. From the acknowledgments section I noted many of the poems were first published in magazines and chapbooks between 2004-2009.

This is an extraordinary 95-page book from a well-established poet with more than 7 other books of published poetry, a novel, and essays and Gander is also solidly known for his work in poetry translations. After reading this book, I thought of Anthony Bourdain who as a celebrated chef traveled the world to explore cuisine, culture and the human condition.

This from the introduction page before the title page:

“This book comes about as unprecedented human movement leads, here as elsewhere, to conflicts, suspicions, and opportunities to reconsider what is meant by ‘the foreign,’ by ‘the foreigner.’ It is also a very personal account of negotiations across borders (between languages and cultures, between one species and all the rest, between health and sickness, between poetic forms, and between self and others).”

Below is an excerpt from Xinjiang, The Pamirs Poetry Journey:

Poet’s Tomb

In Kashgar, prior to a meeting with regional writers, the poets pay respect to the great eleventh-century Uyghur scribe Yusuf Has Hajip whose 12,290 line poem, “The Wisdom of Happiness and Pleasure,” helped codify a Uyghur ethos. His tomb, Abdul explains, was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, rubbled. Who did it? Han soldiers? No, Abdul says, glancing at his feet; his own father, a Uyghur shoemaker, helped to batter down the tomb.

Their minds,
he says,
were altered then.

Below is an excerpt from Mexico, A Core Sample Through 24 Hours:

“(…) It’s raining and the spiked, aromatic scent from nearby creosote bushes is dizzying.

A cure for dizziness? the driver turns his head, incredulous. He says,

Para todo mal: mescal
Para todo bien: tambien

(For anything bad at all: drink mescal. When better than before: drink more.) (…)”

Below is an excerpt of one of the three line “haikus” from Chili, Pigs of Gold:

The night fragrant, windless,
holding afloat a low
mmm of conversations

Overall, I came away feeling I had journeyed to these locales and countries through Gander’s poetry and can see how I can come back to this book for inspiration.

Importantly, I urge all travelers to make contemporaneous notes during their travels if only for themselves. Our memories are spotty and undependable. Recording the experiences and thoughts of the time will be valuable. Before it all evaporates. Gander’s use of the title Evaporation as his introductory title for each section helps us understand what Gander was doing to attempt to record his experiences before they would dissipate into nothingness.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems paired with photos exploring cultures around the world.

from A Clearing: "Where are you going? Ghosted with dust. From where have you come? / Dull assertiveness of the rock heap, a barren monarchy. / Wolfspider, size of a hand, encrusted with dirt at the rubble's edge. // What crosses here goes fanged or spiked and draws its color from the ground. / Xanthic shadow at the edges. / Where are we going? Ghosted with dust. From where have we come?"

from The Tinajera Notebook: "So the present / hoses itself out. And with it— // Sitting in the lobby of the clinic, / its walls painted / like children's rooms with starfish // and trains and jungle birds / and children shuttling back and forth, the nurse / calling their name and a few words // in English or Spanish, children / taking their mother's / or father's hand, // trailing the nurse past / a registration desk, down / the hall, the sequence of closed doors, // toward one door open. Radiance inside."

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of four more or less travel essays, or at least long prose patches about travels to places-- China, Bosnia, Chile, etc. And as such, the stories Gander brings back from those places are funny and strange and worth reading. There are poems and photographs as well-- the poems are often fractured in ways I found really exciting. I'd gladly read a book of those, as well.

I liked this, even though it's not quite what I was looking for.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poems, photos, and essays. Like a travelogue. I find that one rarely cares deeply about the travels of others, so it takes an exceptional writer to make these personal experiences compelling to others. I didn't find Gander's work interesting to read so much as I found that I'd consider using this approach in my own travels. I suspect that if he were to give a talk and read from this book, it would be pretty awesome.

[Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of eco-poetry exposed me to an entirely new genre that combines poetry, geography, ecology, Japanese style verse, photography, & travel log. Several months after reading it, I still think about the images and content. Sent me to Google to learn about some of the content, including art. Be aware: not all of the writing is readily understandable.

[Amanda Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the haibun in particular gripping--his use of the form is fantastic.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty and pithy observations from the author touring places in the world where such observation is not always welcome or appreciated. Excellent!

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the background and the ideas; and many of the essay portions. The poetry didn't connect for me.

[Abby]

Some books I read because of a complex mixture of excited interest and dutiful obligation. Like, "Oh look, a poem-essay-photo combo about traveling, foreignness, language, and culture...obviously I must read it." And I often come away with a complex mixture of enjoyment and disappointment. The language is expertly wielded, the photos are vivid, and the forms are tactile. I love this kind of indulgent method of collecting glowing little travel impressions and interactions into a book. But I also find it a bit lazy--I want something more cohesive, something that digs a little deeper than "I often feel my foreignness very keenly, but then there are moments when I break through." Yeah...we know. We all know.