Spell

by Dan Beachy-Quick

Poetry. Dan Beachy-Quick confirms the promise of his first book and greatly extends the range and scope of his writing with this brilliant fantasia on a theme by Herman Melville. This multi-layered poetic work engages with Melville's text as well as with myth and with the ideas of spiritual quest, the role of the writer, and the nature of language. Rewarding multiple readings and affording continual discoveries, SPELL is a major work for the new century by an assured and gifted poet. "Intelligent, compassionate, exquisite, Beachy-Quick's is a unique voice in contemporary poetry"--Cole Swensen.

Genres: Poetry

130 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2004

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A careful student of Melville, Beachy-Quick writes an homage to Moby Dick. He's a sort of language-y/experimental poet (what's the best term? This work is mostly coherent but very concerned with the ways words sound, rather than the imitation of speech or meditation; an example: "The spear-struck/ Whale churns with his massive tail the water/ To white-roil, fury, turmoil, to gale-height waves/ When no gale blows--spear-struck, and then sounds/ Ocean-down as long as breath allows.")

The collection is impressive in its ambition (like its subject) and slow in the middle (like its subject). It's aware that the whale is not just the whale. Some of my favorite parts of the sequence are those that examine Pip and those in which the "speaker" addresses the "editor" to explain the project (as well as the troubles he's been having with his wife).

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Dan at his most daring & ambitious.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! All poets can learn a lot from this book!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the word level, as at many other levels, this is a very satisfying book. Strike, stave, ink, quill, inquiry, cast, barrel, darkens, thinnest, speared, depth, uncoils, wound, cask, globules.

[birdmaddgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is so my sort of project. but perhaps because i love The Whaler's Dictionary so much, i didn't enjoy this as i expected to.