Imprint:
Inanna Poetry & Fiction SeriesISBN:
9781771338257Product Form:
PaperbackForm detail:
TradeAudience:
General TradeDimensions:
7.5in x 6 x 0.3 in | 0.25 lbPage Count:
104 pagesThe poems in The Men Who Write Good-bye Letters deal with death and our relationship with time, making sense of the choices made when we "end" things, or when things end without our permission, whether it be the end of a life, the end of a romance, or the result of an unexpected tragedy. These poems are a poet's observation and reflection on the reasons for loss and endings, for survival and redemption, and an exploration of the poetry in the choices made. The collection also examines lives searching for clarity and value, ultimately leading to self-discovery and self-affirmation.
Gianna Patriarca is an award-winning author of eight books of poetry, one children's book, and a collection of short stories inspired by the lives of Italian Canadian women, All My Fallen Angelas (2016). Her writing is extensively anthologized and appears on the course list of universities in Italy, Canada, and the USA. Her work has also writing been adapted for the Canadian stage, CBC radio drama, and appears in many documentary films. Her first book, Italian Women and Other Tragedies, is in its fourth printing and has been translated into Italian. She lives in Toronto and is currently working on a novel.
"To The Men Who Write Goodbye Letters is the work of an artist at the top of her game. In this elegantly crafted collection of poems, Patriarca has tapped into one of poetry's most magical powers, its ability to sweeten the tragic and make it palatable to the human heart. Even when the poet sings of suicide and death, there is gentle comfort in the lyrical flow of the voice and its loving attention to the simple and ordinary details surrounding even the most sorrowful events."
--Luciano Iacobelli, author of Book of Disorders and Dolor Midnight
"Ai poeti resta da fare la poesia onesta," Umberto Saba said once. In this collection, Gianna Patriarca turns the heavy soil of painful loss and asks us to join her in this difficult harvest. With humorous lifelines and tasteful metaphors still in place, these poems remind us to stay with our troubles and that it is okay not to be okay. Both triggering and cathartic, Patriarca's words will leave you thankful for her never-failing blunt honesty."
--Paolo Frasca, University of Toronto, Mississauga