My Zorba

by Danielle Pafunda

An enticing second collection by Danielle Pafunda, MY ZORBA is a mysterious, memoirish confabulation of missives narrating the dark domestic drama of the speaker and one shape-shifting Zorba. Is Zorba lover? Sister? Captor? Uncanny double? And does the story end in a bloody accident or intentional poisoning? Danielle Pafunda is the author of PRETTY YOUNG THING (Soft Skull, 2005), and the chapbook A PRIMER FOR THE CORPSE (Whole Coconut Chapbook Series, forthcoming). Her poems have been chosen three times for Best American Poetry (2004, 2006, and 2007) and appeared widely in journals. She is coeditor of the online journal La Petite Zine, a doctoral candidate in the University of Georgia's creative writing program, and Spring 2008 Poet-in-Residence at Columbia College Chicago. See daniellepafunda.blogspot.com for more information.

Genres: Poetry

79 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2008

Reviews

[Dusie Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book... fan-fucking-tastic people!!! Pafunda takes language out to lunch, twirls its head round and round, lolls it about a bit all the while rearranging and contorting it into an entirely new formation/species. Zorba is my new hero, a he/she poly-vocalic meshing of what both the speaker sees and what we the reader can interpret into this new design. A linguistic spectacle which never lets. This slim hot pink book of missives is really hot in every which way in its wooing.

[Carrie Lorig · Rating 5 out of 5]

some poetry books take you to lunch and then to an art exhibit. pafunda drags you to a party or a war. i'm not sure. but her imaginary boy/girl friend is there and there's glass everywhere and no one is wearing pants.

[Juliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hot (in a warped and clammy way).

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

some lines from this book that I liked:
"The gas tank removed, repaired, replaced with a pig's head."
"At the Mexican restaurant, Zorba wanted the kitten."
"I threw her into the basement, I diapered her, and now she's nosing around the sump pump. I feed her through an eye-dropper."
"Here, take my brooch, says Zorba. You look like a pitcher of tap water."

[T.A. Noonan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me want to learn a dozen languages and speak them all at once while gargling mint chocolate chip ice cream. And also eat Danielle Pafunda's brain. And wear garters the color of this book cover. Seriously, it's a marvel.

[Michelle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned for Poetry for Majors, SP09, Johannes Goransson.

[Leslie]

Lovely! This book is language pleasure overload.