Description
Book Synopsis Selected by Sandra McPherson
for the 1996 National Poetry Series
The late poet James V. Dickey
was judge of the Yale Prize poetry competition when he wrote to A. V.
Christie, one of the finalists, I have become very fond of your
poems, especially the elegiac ones. . . . Your work is heartfelt; one
believes every word of it. . . . You have given me much in-depth pleasure;
have moved me strongly.
The work in Nine Skies
is as Dickey described it--heartfelt, moving. Here is what others
say about it:
Beautifully crafted
and sustained, with six or seven poems as fine as anything being written
today. This remarkable book is a rite of passage for the poet and speaks
of even better things to come. -- Elizabeth Spires
Only the best poetry
is written this well, with this much craft and conviction. Of course the
poems are meditative and elegiac, brilliant and finely
Trade Review
"Christie's debut volume ... Shows unusual maturity of technique and approach... Christie's own words are testament to the power of language -- to evoke a time and place, to transfigure, to preserve... Nine Skies transforms profound grief into art of the highest caliber." Ned Balbo Verse "Beautifully crafted and sustained, with six or seven poems as fine as anything being written today. This remarkable book is a rite of passage for the poet and speaks of even better things to come." Elizabeth Spires "Only the best poetry is written this well, with this much craft and conviction. Of course the poems are meditative and elegiac, brilliant and finely detailed, but they are also thought through and wholly felt, so that even in their small moments they celebrate." Stanley Plumly "A. V. Christie writes with a Romantic's eye and a Realist's heart, so there is no sentimentality, that sickness afflicting our age. The voice on these pages is hard-bitten, luxuriant, and true." Henri Cole "Nine Skies is a graceful realization in each detail of elegy or celebration." Sandra McPherson
