Ranging widely in subject and tone, this collection of prose begins as an homage to Scheherazade—the heroine of The Arabian Nights whose nightly tale-telling saved her culture and her own life by teaching a powerful and murderous ruler to abandon cruelty in favor of wisdom and benevolence. Mirroring Scheherazade’s tactic, this lyrical exploration offers diverse works including lullabies, fairy tales, nonsensical mumblings, dream narratives, and the occasional erotic ditty. The poems explore and play with languages of varied stages of consciousness and realms of imagination. Accessible and surprising, Hejinian’s works present an underlying feminist current and argue for the possibility of a celebratory, mournful, and stubborn commitment to life.
Abstract:
Publication date:
April 1, 2012
Publication type:
Poetry