A Pushcart At The Curb

by John Dos Passos

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Poetry

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

John Dos Passos was a prominent American novelist, artist, and political thinker best known for his U.S.A. trilogy—The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money—a groundbreaking work of modernist fiction that employed experimental narrative techniques to depict the complexities of early 20th-century American life. Born in Chicago in 1896, he was educated at Harvard and served as an ambulance driver during World War I, experiences that deeply influenced his early literary themes. His first novel, One Man’s Initiation: 1917, and the antiwar Three Soldiers drew on his wartime observations and marked him as a major voice among the Lost Generation.
Dos Passos’s 1925 novel Manhattan Transfer brought him widespread recognition and introduced stylistic innovations that would define his later work. His U.S.A. trilogy fused fiction, biography, newsreel-style reportage, and autobiographical “Camera Eye” sections to explore the impact of capitalism, war, and political disillusionment on the American psyche. Once aligned with leftist politics, Dos Passos grew increasingly disillusioned with Communism, especially after the murder of his friend José Robles during the Spanish Civil War—a turning point that led to a break with Ernest Hemingway and a sharp turn toward conservatism.
Throughout his career, Dos Passos remained politically engaged, writing essays, journalism, and historical studies while also campaigning for right-leaning figures like Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon in the 1960s. He contributed to publications such as American Heritage, National Review, and The Freeman, and published over forty books including biographies and historical reflections. Despite political shifts, his commitment to liberty and skepticism of authoritarianism remained central themes.
Also a visual artist, Dos Passos created cover art and illustrations for many of his own books, exhibiting a style influenced by modernist European art. Though less acclaimed for his painting, he remained artistically active throughout his life. His multidisciplinary approach and innovations in narrative structure influenced numerous writers and filmmakers, from Jean-Paul Sartre to Norman Mailer and Adam Curtis.
Later recognized with the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize for literature in 1967, Dos Passos’s legacy endures through his literary innovations and sharp commentary on American identity. He died in 1970, leaving behind a vast and diverse body of work that continues to shape the landscape of American fiction.

Reviews

[Lisa of Troy]

Part of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s personal library according to Scott Fitzgerald: Romantic and Realist by John Richard Kuehl 1958
*These were books NOT given to Princeton. They were returned to Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald’s daughter, France Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan

[Christine Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, John Dos Passos is one of the essential authors of the early 20th century, and it's a shame his work is so underrated compared to his contemporaries such as James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway. My first exposure to his work was the USA Trilogy, and I was hooked from the first chapter. He provides meticulous detail that pulls you into the scene--but without overloading the setting or characters with detail. Out of all the artists and writers in that lived in Paris during the 1920s, Dos Passos, in my opinion, stands out as the one who really "got it" about portraying cubism with words. I connected with him on a much deeper level than I did with Joyce and Hemingway--though I appreciate their work as well.

Pushcart at the Curb has quickly become one of my favorite books of poetry. Partway through I knew I was going to flip back to page one as soon as I was done to re-read it in its entirety. While his more lyrical soul is evident in Manhattan Transfer and the USA Trilogy, Pushcart at the Curb demonstrates that lyricism vividly and elegantly--it's a beautiful work. The poetry collection takes you around the world to view little scenes that invite you in, and it's enchanting.

[Collette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of poetry is one of John Dos Passos' earlier works. Many of the poems, like so many works created by members of the Lost Generation, are tinged with sadness (JDP's time spent as a soldier certainly influenced several of these reflections). Intertwined with these more melancholy poems are several delicate and beautiful poems (Winter in Castile was likely my favorite section). Several poems reminded me of T.S. Eliot's (a friend of Dos Passos) and Yeats' (a contemporary) style of writing, which is likely due to their writing at the same time and experiencing similar events. JDP has a wonderful way with words and a remarkable vocabulary. I am often sad that I discovered him after my school days, as I think he is often overlooked in favor of other Lost Generation authors.

[Classic reverie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really could not get into this, I am not a poem person so that might be why.

["Ben" Yair · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There are hands about my throat.

Ah Bilkis, Bilkis
where the jangle of your camel bells?
Bilkis when out of Saba
lope of your sharp-smelling dromedaries
will bring the unnameable strong wine
you press from the dazzle of the zenith
over the shining sand of your desert
the wine you press there in Saba?
Bilkis your voice loud above the camel bells
white sword of dawn to split the fog,
Bilkis your small strong hands to tear
the hands from about my throat.
Ah Bilkis when out of Saba?"

-Dos Passos, John. A Pushcart at the Curb (pg. 94)