The Clerk's Tale

Poems

Fiction & Literature, Poetry, American
Cover of the book The Clerk's Tale by Spencer Reece, HMH Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Spencer Reece ISBN: 9780547346632
Publisher: HMH Books Publication: April 4, 2004
Imprint: Mariner Books Language: English
Author: Spencer Reece
ISBN: 9780547346632
Publisher: HMH Books
Publication: April 4, 2004
Imprint: Mariner Books
Language: English

In a recent double fiction issue, The New Yorker devoted the entire back page to a single poem, "The Clerk's Tale," by Spencer Reece. The poet who drew such unusual attention has a surprising background: for many years he has worked for Brooks Brothers, a fact that lends particular nuance to the title of his collection. The Clerk's Tale pays homage not only to Chaucer but to the clerks' brotherhood of service in the mall, where "the light is bright and artificial, / yet not dissimilar to that found in a Gothic cathedral." The fifty poems in The Clerk's Tale are exquisitely restrained, shot through with a longing for permanence, from the quasi-monastic life of two salesmen at Brooks Brothers to the poignant lingering light of a Miami dusk to the weight of geography on an empty Minnesota farm. Gluck describes them as having "an effect I have never quite seen before, half cocktail party, half passion play . . . We do not expect virtuosity as the outward form of soul-making, nor do we associate generosity and humanity with such sophistication of means, such polished intelligence . . . Much life has gone into the making of this art, much patient craft."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In a recent double fiction issue, The New Yorker devoted the entire back page to a single poem, "The Clerk's Tale," by Spencer Reece. The poet who drew such unusual attention has a surprising background: for many years he has worked for Brooks Brothers, a fact that lends particular nuance to the title of his collection. The Clerk's Tale pays homage not only to Chaucer but to the clerks' brotherhood of service in the mall, where "the light is bright and artificial, / yet not dissimilar to that found in a Gothic cathedral." The fifty poems in The Clerk's Tale are exquisitely restrained, shot through with a longing for permanence, from the quasi-monastic life of two salesmen at Brooks Brothers to the poignant lingering light of a Miami dusk to the weight of geography on an empty Minnesota farm. Gluck describes them as having "an effect I have never quite seen before, half cocktail party, half passion play . . . We do not expect virtuosity as the outward form of soul-making, nor do we associate generosity and humanity with such sophistication of means, such polished intelligence . . . Much life has gone into the making of this art, much patient craft."

More books from HMH Books

Cover of the book Stained by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book The Magician's Assistant by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book Pillsbury The Big Book of More Baking with Refrigerated Dough by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book Small Memories by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book A Star Is Found by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book Stick and Stone by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book The Pan-Industrial Revolution by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book American Rendering by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book The Whole30 Day by Day by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book Field Guide to the Grumpasaurus by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book How to Raise a Wild Child by Spencer Reece
Cover of the book CliffsNotes on Camus' The Plague by Spencer Reece
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy