The Dead Alive and Busy

by Alan Shapiro

In his sixth book of poems, Alan Shapiro once again shows that he is a master at articulating the secrets of the heart. The Dead Alive and Busy deals with issues of personal identity as revealed through examining the intimate bonds of family life. The poems explore these familial relations in terms of the religious, social, and literary contexts that inform them, delving into such universal themes as human frailty, illness and death, bereavement, and thwarted desires. By turns lyrical and narrative, slangy and elevated, analytical and visionary, this collection showcases one of America's most important poets in his top form.

Praise for Alan "Shapiro is a shrewd and sympathetic moralist. He never trivializes his subjects with high-minded flourishes or stylistic gimmicks."—J. D. McClatchy, New York Times Book Review

Genres: Poetry

89 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2000

About the author

Alan Shapiro (born 1952) is an American poet and professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of nine poetry books, including Tantalus in Love, Song and Dance, and The Dead Alive and Busy.

In addition to poetry, Alan Shapiro has also published two personal memoirs, Vigil and The Last Happy Occasion.
(wikipedia)

Reviews

[William McCall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book of poems with only a few weak entries that fail only in that they are so similar to others that preceded them. Cumulatively, however, Shapiro has created a compelling hidden gem.

[Dana Jerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel like reading a book of poetry is akin to walking thru an art gallery. The book is the hall, each page hung with a painting.
You study the paintings around you. Some you probably like more than others.
Somehow this book was a well-curated show of less than stellar artwork.
Yet you’ve left the hall satisfied, because the best pieces were saved for last.

❤️‍🩹

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wistful and heartbreaking poems about old age and death.