Parallel movement of the hands: five unfinished longer works / John Ashbery ; edited by Emily Skillings ; and with a foreword by Ben Lerner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ashbery, John, 1927-2017, author.

Standardized Title:

Poems. Selections

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English poetry--21st century.

English poetry.

Genre:

Poetry.

Physical Description:

li, 265 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021]

Summary:

A stunning collection of work from beloved poet John Ashbery, his first posthumous book -- Renowned for his inventive mind, ambitious play with language, and dexterity with a wide range of tones and styles, John Ashbery has been a major artistic figure in the cultural life of our time. Parallel Movement of the Hands gathers unpublished, book-length projects and long poems written between 1993 and 2007, along with one (as yet) undated work, to showcase Ashbery's diverse and multifaceted artistic obsessions and sources, from children's literature, cliffhanger cinema reels, silent films, and classical music variations by Beethoven's pupil Carl Czerny to the history of early photography. Ashbery even provides a fresh and humorous take on a well-worn parable from the Gospel of Matthew. These works demonstrate that while producing and publishing the shorter, discrete poems often associated with his late career, Ashbery continued to practice the long-form, project-based writing that has long been an important element of his oeuvre. Edited and introduced by Ashbery's former assistant poet Emily Skillings and including a preface by acclaimed poet and novelist Ben Lerner, this compelling and varied collection offers new insights into the process and creative interests of a poet whose work continues to influence generations of artists and poets with its signature intertextuality, openness, and simultaneity. A landmark publication of never-before-seen works, this book will enlighten scholars as well as new readers of one of America's most prominent and celebrated poets.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

THE ART OF FINGER DEXTERITY

1. Application of the Fingers with Quiet Hand

2. The Passing of the Thumb

3. Clarity in Velocity

4. Light Articulation in Half-Staccato

5. Evenness in Double Runs

6. Clarity in Broken Chords

7. Changing Fingers on the Same Key

8. Light Articulation of the Left Hand

9. Delicacy in Skips and Staccatos

10. Exercise for Thirds [I]

Exercise for Thirds [II]

11. Skill in Alternating Fingers

12. Flexibility of the Left Hand

13. Maximum Velocity

14. Chord Passages

15. Wide Position in Fortissimo

16. Alternating Fingers at Speed

17. Minor Scales at High Speed

18. Crossing the Hands Naturally and with a Fine Touch

19. Tense Positions with a "Peaceful" Wrist

20. Double Octaves

21. Parallel Movement of the Hands [I]

Parallel Movement of the Hands [II]

22. Exercise for the Trill

23. Light Touch of the Left Hand

24. The Thumb on the Black Keys with the Hand Absolutely Quiet

25. Agility and Clarity

26. Maximum Velocity in Arpeggios

SACRED AND PROFANE DANCES

Attainder

Sacred and Profane Dances

Tempest

21. Variations On My Room

THE KANE RICHMOND PROJECT

Spy Smasher

Perils of Nyoka

The Devil Diamond

The Lost City

Racing Blood

A Hard Man

The President's Dream

[untitled] "Kane was a righteous dude, heat-packing"

Chapter Seven

The Mist Rolls in from the Sea

Dog Overboard!

Dog and Pony Show

A Lost Dog

My Own Best Customer

Dog of the Limberlost

Sex on the River

A Long and Sleepy History

The Quitter

More about Drew

Modern Sketch

To Meet with My Father

[untitled] "I liked the fourth declension

all those `u's"

Miss Otis Regrets Land's End

[untitled] "Are you trying to stop us?"

[untitled] "Nothing if found convenient"

There You Go!

[untitled] "Why wait for another day to cross itself?"

Arguably

An Unspecified Amount

Tres modere

Fried Mackerel and Frozen Peas

[Untitled] "The point is to find an extra-sensual way to be without it".

ISBN:

0062968858

9780062968852

OCLC:

1196172682