The History of The Invitation: New and Selected Poems 1963-2000

by Tony Towle

Poetry. The wit, power and elegance of Towle's poetry is brought together at last in one definitive volume. One of the clear, authentic voices of American poetry -- Kenneth Koch. Meditative, erudite, stunning with ease and quirky sanity...a phenomenal measure of a poet's nearly four decades -- Anne Waldman. Belongs in every library of poetry, possibly on its own shelf -- Billy Collins.

81 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Alex Telander · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graduate of UC San Diego, Ed Friedman has lived most of his life in New York. His work has appeared in New American Writing, The World, Hanging Loose and Conjunctions. With Drive Through the Blue Cylinders, we do not have your garden-variety poetry style, but it is presented more in the form of prose, each piece consisting of a single paragraph, along with a could that are pages long but can still not be considered stories. There are no limits for Friedman and he’s going to take you anywhere and everywhere, even if you don’t want to go. While of a style of writing that comes off as deep and complex and sometimes confusing, Friedman spirals in and out, up and down, and if you hold on tight, you’re in for a bumpy ride.

Originally published on December 3rd 2001.

For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.