Pierce the Skin Selected Poems, 1982-2007

AGENEROUSSELECTIONFROMONEOFOURGREATESTLIVINGPOETSHenriColehasbeendescribedasa"fiercelysomber,yetexuberantpoet"byHaroldBloom,whoidentifieshimasthecentralpoetofhisgeneration.Cole'smostrecentpoemshaveadaringsensitivityandimagisticbeautyunlikeanythingontheAmericanscenetoday.Whethertheyareexploringpleasureorpain,humororsorrow,triumphorfear,theyreachforanalmostshockingintensity.Cole'sfourthbook,MiddleEarth,awakenedhisaudiencetohimasapoetnowwritingthepoemsofhiscareer.PiercetheSkinbringstogethersixty-sixpoemsfromthepasttwenty-fiveyears,includingworkfromCole'searly,closelyobserved,virtuosicbooks,longoutofprint,aswellashisimportantmorerecentbooks,TheVisibleMan(1998),MiddleEarth(2003),andBlackbirdandWolf(2007).TheresultisacollectionreconsecratingCole'scentralthemes:thedesireforconnection,thecontingenciesofselfhoodandhumanlove,thedissolutionofthebody,thesublimerenewalfoundinnature,andthedistanceoflanguagefromexperience."Idon'twantwordstosevermefromreality,"Colesays,strivinginPiercetheSkintobreakthebarrierevenbetweenwordandskin.MaureenN.McLanewroteinTheNewYorkTimesBookReviewthatColeisapoetof"self-overcoming,lusting,loathingandbeautifulforce."Thisbookwillhaveapermanentplacewithotheressentialpoemsofourmoment.,