The Art Of Drowning - (Pitt Poetry) by Billy Collins (Paperback)

About the Book

To celebrate Billy Collins's years as U.S. Poet Laureate, we are pleased to announce this special hardcover edition of one of the books that helped establish and secure his reputation in the 1990s.

Book Synopsis

Over the past decade, Billy Collins has emerged as the most beloved American poet since Robert Frost, garnering critical acclaim and broad popular appeal. Gerald Stern describes his poetry as "heartbreakingly beautiful." John Updike proclaims his poems "consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were and some others besides."This special, limited edition celebrates Billy Collins's years as U.S. Poet Laureate. The Art of Drowning--one of the books that helped establish and secure his reputation and popularity during the 1990s--is distinctive in its variety of interests and the generous hospitality of its voice. Ranging from an analysis of Keats's handwriting to the art form of the calendar pinup, the subjects of his poems inspire imaginative play. Whether reading him for the first time or the fiftieth, this collector's edition is a must-have for anyone interested in the poet the New York Times calls simply "the real thing."

Review Quotes

A brilliant collection.-- "Washington Post"

A wonderful, thoughtful, sly, and moving collection.-- "San Francisco Chronicle"

Deft observation, droll wit, and outrageous assertions are whizzing past.-- "Bloomsbury Review"

I treasure the day I discovered Billy Collins.-- "The Lawrence Ledger"

Lovely poems--lovely in a way almost nobody's since Roethke's are. Limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were and some others besides.-- "John Updike"

About the Author

Billy Collins, named U.S. Poet Laureate in June 2001 and reappointed to the post in 2002, has published seven collections of poetry, including The Apple That Astonished Paris; Nine Horses; The Art of Drowning; Picnic, Lightning; Questions about Angels; and Sailing Alone Around the Room. A professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York, he lives in Somers, New York.