The Drunken Driver Has the Right of Way: Poems

by Ethan Coen

From the fabulously creative filmmaker who wrote and produced movies such as Fargo, Barton Fink, and Blood Simple, this is a provocative, revealing, and often hilarious collection of poems that offers insight into an artist who has always pushed the boundaries of his craft.

In his screenplays and short stories, Ethan Coen surprises and delights us with a rich brew of ideas, observations, and perceptions. In his first collection of poems he does much the same. The range of his poems is remarkable–funny, ribald, provocative, sometimes raw, and often touching and profound.

In these poems Coen writes of his childhood, his hopes and dreams, his disappointments, his career in Hollywood, his physically demanding love affair with Mamie Eisenhower, and his decade-long battle with amphetamines that produced some of the lengthier poems in the collection. You will chuckle, nodding with recognition as you turn the pages, perhaps even stopping occasionally to read a poem. Handsomely and durably bound between hard covers, this is a book that will stand up to most readers’ attempts to destroy it.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Literary Fiction, American

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2001

About the author

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are four-time Academy Award winning American filmmakers. For more than twenty years, the pair have written and directed numerous successful films, ranging from screwball comedies (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy) to film noir (Miller's Crossing, Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There, No Country for Old Men), to movies where genres blur together (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Barton Fink). The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes. They are known in the film business as "the two-headed director", as they share such a similar vision of what their films are to be that actors say that they can approach either brother with a question and get the same answer.

Reviews

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

John said something to me earlier that perfectly echoes the namesake poem in this book. "Smart kids don't tend to do as well because they don't try when they think they might fail" or something like that, hopefully. That is the basic idea of the drunken driver. It is not that legally we should allow the drunken driver the right of way. It is simply saying that a reasonable person will always get out of the way of a crazy person thereby allowing the crazy person to win. This is why the world sucks.

This is by no stretch of the imagination "good" poetry. Whatever that is. Which honestly works well for me because I am not really the type of person that tends to have any interest in good poetry. I mean I can recognize it but I will never enjoy it the way that I obsess of Silverstein and Carroll. Being such I give you a taste:

"The loudest have the final say,
the wanton win, the rash hold sway,
the realist's rules of order say
the drunken driver has the right of way"

"if you can count your complement
of digits up to twenty
you could give a toe or finger to
a friend, and still have plenty.

You could even lend an ear to an
unfortunate with none
but by no means hand out noses
since of those you have but one"

This is very good advice.

In short, the writing is a bit crap (sometimes very crap) But it will make you smile enough times to make up for it. If you don't believe me read the 15 pages of limericks in the center, a nice sampling of the good the bad and the ugly.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Not great. Out of the entire book, there are only about 5 decent poems, the title poem being one of them. I stand by my first impression that it probably wouldn't have been published if Ethan Coen wasn't already famous.

[Wes · Rating 1 out of 5]

The wrong Coen got the publishing deal.

[Celine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of potty humour in this one. Yeah it can get tiring (especially in the limericks) but it usually is hilarious... And, it’s balanced out by just as many poems that are wry and witty pokes at the socially awkward/vindictive sides of humankind.

Particularly enjoyed: Such Sweet Sorrow, Reunion, A Naughty Verse, I Have A Dream, Hereafter, churchyard, If I May, and Solution.

A special mention to “I Dreamed I Left My Knapsack”, which successfully paints and picture of the pathetic quivering mess that forgetting something on public transport can reduce you to.

A second special mention to my second favourite dream poem, “You Want Spooky?” about a man’s argumentation with his dismembered penis and also Nazis and also penises dressed like Nazis looking like Himmler. Hehe.

High brow stuff, poetry.

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

You won't find profundity here, which is part of the point. Coen is a wonderfully funny writer who loves language. The limericks are topnotch.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to find out that Ethan Coen (of the Coen brothers movie-making team) had written a book of poetry. I love their movies... so...

Which is the same mistake I made with buying David Mamet's book of poetry long ago.

Mostly rhyming poems. Poorly rhymed to boot. With a plethora of disgusting topics that seem preoccupied with fecal matter, male genitalia, sex (lots of sex), and prostitutes. There are other themes as well. But none of them much better.

I couldn't wait for this book to be over. And I don't know why I read the whole thing.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book because of the author (I love his movies) for a friend who likes poetry (which is not me b/c I am too literal) but we spent the afternoon reading it together and laughing out loud. I loved it and I got it, which that in itself is a small feat

[c.vance c.vance · Rating 2 out of 5]

too clever for his own damned good at times---
or, if nothing else, too clever for coherency. but it is fun; a long list of dirty limericks and catchy hooks to poems. a fast way to be entertained but don't expect to take anything more from it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I heard that one of the Coen Brothers had written a book of poetry I just had to take a look (actually, there are 2 books). Ethan Coen definitely has a way with words. But his poems tend to cover bodily parts and fluids and it got to be too much. I did enjoy a number of the poems; my favorites are "Such Sweet Sorrow," "Churchyard" and "Dog, Debonair."

Recommend? Let's just say you've been warned.

[Shannon McKee · Rating 2 out of 5]

picked this one up because it had a receipt in it from the barnes & noble in bethesda from 2010 and i love that specific bookstore so much…and boy was i disappointed lol this was pretty mid. a little below mid honestly. the title poem was well done and the rest was mostly dumb but funny enough that i kept reading. checks out for how i feel about o brother, where art thou?

[Clare McCarthy]

Cohen's poetry is rife with wordplay and neologisms. He is an R-(at times X-) rated Shel Silverstein. I laughed aloud, if that's allowed, often, particularly at his limericks.

[Jana Eichhorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silly little collection of poetry that doesn't take itself seriously. Think Shel Silverstein, but dirtier.

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

at times, a R-rated shel silverstein!

[Kayleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

He should stick to movies

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

O! As goofy as expected!

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coen packs this with a lot of fun tongue twisters, dirty limmericks and stylized ballads showing a pretty vast range.

[Brent Legault · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sentiments toward this swaggering, staggering collection are best expressed in verse. Uh, it's a little saucey, so don't continue if sauciness offends or irritates you.

EIGHT LINES AFTER ETHAN

If Thurber & Poe & Geisel & Nash
Had all jouissent into Dot Parker's gash

And had Parker agreed to carry to term
The effects and defects of their doggerel sperm

Then the doctor on duty at the Algonquin Hotel
(with scotch on his breath & belipsticked lapel)

Would've held in his hands (Though how could he know it?)
A future film genius & would-be poet

Terrible, yes? But I only had a day to concoct it. While Coen must have had months and even years, between movies.

His poems are not poetry, not by modern standards. But they make excellent 19th century stuff and would've even held their own in early issues of The New Yorker. The best of these poems are scatological and prurient and fun. Many of them engendered a stock or off-stock character in my head: the crusty pirate, the cranky oldster, the crass preacher, the crabby Leprechaun (nearly 20 pages are given over to limerics). The rhyme-schemes, the linguisto-gymnastics, the genius wit was, I admit, dazzling. But to be honest, I get nearly the same thrill from reading collections of vaudevillian jokes or say, the wisdoms of Yogi Berra.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this not knowing what to expect. I thoroughly enjoy the Coen Brother's films and I was very much looking forward to reading Ethan's poetry. This collection features a vast array of both hits and misses, mostly hits. Ethan's poetry is frank, funny, and delightful. He seems to write about whatever happens to come to mind. You'll find poetry about love, loss, sex, greif, and general angst all in one place; I feel like that's important. Too many modern poets seem to be obessed with the trope that poets are deep and sobering in their work but Coen shatters that.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second poetry collection I read by Ethan Coen. He gave me new thoughts on reading other poetry. I listen to rap music, but never really read much of it.

This is some laughs you are missing if you are not picking this book up. Some of my favorites

-For What its Worth
-Such Sweet Sorrow
-The Fable of C. Edgar Bitter
-My Dream and What I Made of it
-The Twa Duncies
-Hereafter

in the poem "You Want Spooky?" he wakes up to no penis. Its sitting at the table with the morning newspaper. The following events are straight out Hilarious! Read this even if you don't like poetry.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because of the catchy title, and because it's by Ethan Cohen. He has a habit of repetition, to his detriment - like when when telling a joke twice in a row doesn't make it funnier, the same thing goes for his good lines. He repeats them, as if discrediting the readers ability to realize their quality on our own. I also just didn't enjoy his poetry. He mostly just made fun of poetry with especially bad poetry.

[Finnick Littlefoot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a down-to-earth poet who isn't afraid to let the raunch in sometimes. Coen's poetry reminded me a lot of Leonard Cohen or Bukowski. But there's a charm to those guys that I didn't quite get here. The poems were either 'funny' or 'deep,' but didn't mix much between the two. I find the space between to be the most impactful, and I missed that.

[Jaidene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hysterical! Just what you'd expect from a Coen. The author is Ethan Coen who is half of the Coen brothers duo who are famous for the movies, Fargo, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, Miller's Crossing, etc. the limericks are crass just as a good limerick should be

[Mick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Out of sixty-one poems, I only liked two. Not a good average. The two I did like were, Self-Portrait, about writing, and How Long, How Late about the sudden realization of aging, and for this one, only the last stanza put it into the like column.

[Nathan Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cleverly, filthily, riotously funny.

[Bryan Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan Coen does poetry.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems are brilliant.
The limerick section leaves you feeling like you need a few showers, but aside from that, the rest of the book is very good.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and lewd. watch out for the limericks.

[Jef · Rating 5 out of 5]

gruesome. naughty. hi-larious.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes charming, but mostly tedious.

[Casey Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly new to reading poetry, however, am a huge Coen fan. Many great and certainly very humorous work here. There is a limerick section that ran pretty long, but overall very worth it.