Robin coste lewiss electrifying collection is a triptych that begins and ends with lyric poems considering the roles desire and race play in the construction of the self. The title poem, 79 pages long, is named for an image by british painter thomas stothard. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems by stephen burt the black side of my family owned slaves. These poignant poems, through a poetic excavation, unearth figures that make us question racial constructs. Mar 16, 2016 voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis. The central panel is the title poem, voyage of the sable venus, a riveting narrative. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems the new yorker. Debut poetry collection knopf, 2015 books, literature, poetry, africanamerican, women, art history. Voyage of the sable venus download ebook pdf, epub. Politics were at play when lewis came across thomas stothards voyage of the sable venus from angola to the west indies, the etching that inspired her books titular poem about commentary on. She shows how cultures traverse terrains and comingle. Robin coste lewis is the author of voyage of the sable venus knopf, 2015, a national book award winner. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
Lewis recently won a national book award, is a taut book of responses to lunatic cultural ideas of many sorts. What follows is a narrative poem comprised solely and entirely of the titles, catalogue entries, or exhibit descriptions of western art objects in which a black female figure is present, dating from 38,000 bce to the present. The image is the voyage of the sable venus from angola to the west indies by thomas stothard, esquire, of the royal academy. Dec 02, 2015 voyage of the sable venus, for which ms. In robin coste lewiss national book awardwinning debut poetry collection, voyage of the sable venus, she follows the representation of the sable venus through thousands of. She received her ba from hampshire college, her mfa in poetry from nyu, and an mts in sanskrit. Lewiss volume, nominated for a national book award, takes its place in a line of important reclamations of venus from its use as a humiliating. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems robin coste lewis. Robin coste lewiss electrifying collection is a triptych that. The poet marilyn nelson once remarked that, if one has the ear and takes the time, even the front page of the newspaper is laden. Robin coste lewis, voyage of the sable venus bookshop. Robin coste lewis s voyage of the sable venus is an experimental tribute to a human history that embraces truth and adventure.
Voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis lambda. Nov 12, 2016 the voyage of the sable venus is an epic written in one line. This event is cosponsored by the humanities institute uc santa cruz. Voyage of the sable venusis a taut book of responses to lunatic cultural ideas of many sorts. Robin coste lewiss electrifying collection is a triptych that begins and ends with lyric poems meditating on the roles desire and race play in the construction of the self. No more preposterous misinterpretation was ever perpetrated of the middle passage, hugh honour says, than the sable venus. Her poetry collection voyage of the sable venus, winner of the 2015 national book award for poetry, captures how beauty and brutality often exist not only simultaneously but also symbiotically. Art urges voyages, and while both of the notions are reasons why many of us go to poetry as readers and writers, lewis collection sets new standards in magnitude and scale. Mar 29, 2019 in robin coste lewiss national book awardwinning debut poetry collection, voyage of the sable venus, she follows the representation of the sable venus through thousands of years of art history. The voyage of the sable venus is an epic written in one line. Tender and masterful opening and closing poems bookend the archival, lyric masterwork, voyage of the sable venus, at the.
The first time that i picked up voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis was shortly after its release, in a new york city bookstore. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems reframes the black figure, most specifically the black female, by pointing out the borders of black beauty, black happiness, and black resilience in our canonical visual culture. Download voyage of the sable venus and other poems by robin coste lewis in pdf epub format complete free. Voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis overdrive. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems book, 2017. In robin coste lewiss voyage of the sable venus, poems. Thats a key line in the first and the last of the poems in lewiss varied first collection, whose poems short and long braid her own family history into a wider trajectory from ancient egypt to presentday sri lanka, new york city, and. Sep 29, 2015 robin coste lewis is the author of voyage of the sable venus knopf, 2015, a national book award winner.
She is a provosts fellow in poetry and visual studies at the university of southern california. Voyage of the sable venus by lewis, robin coste at. She received her ba from hampshire college, her mfa in poetry from nyu, and an mts in. The title of the book comes from an image by british painter thomas stothard 17551834, an engraving. Sprawling seventytwo pages, voyage of the sable venus is a narrative poem comprised solely and entirely of the titles, catalogue entries, and exhibit description of western art objects in which a black female figure is present, dating from 38,000 bce to the present. I flipped through the books pages, read a couple poems, and then moved on walking out of the store emptyhanded.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Here is a quick description and cover image of book voyage of the sable venus and other poems written by robin coste lewis which was published in 20159. Pdf epub voyage of the sable venus and other poems. May 01, 2019 derives its title from a notorious eighteenthcentury engraving by thomas stothard, the voyage of the sable venus from angola to the west indies. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read voyage of the sable venus. Voyage of the sable venus ebook by robin coste lewis. And never to forget beauty, however strange or difficult. Robin coste lewiss voyage of the sable venus is a meditation on the cultural depiction of the black female figure. The title of the book comes from an image by british painter thomas stothard 17551834, an. Lewis arranges this material with genuine technical ingenuity, until its incremental emotional force begins to make you feel you have an elephant lowering itself onto your chestin the two sections of. Now in paperback, this national book award winning debut poetry collection is a meditation on the black female figure. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems academy of. The collection won the national book award for poetry, the first debut collection to win the award since 1974.
Voyage of the sable venus and other poems by robin coste lewis. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Voyage of the sable venus national book foundation. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems wikipedia. Apr 26, 2020 download voyage of the sable venus and other poems by robin coste lewis in pdf epub format complete free. Now in paperback, this national book awardwinning debut poetry collection is a meditation on the black female figure. Robin coste lewiss debut poetry collection, voyage of the sable venus and other poems knopf, derives its title from a notorious eighteenthcentury engraving by thomas stothard, the voyage of. Mar 09, 2017 get a jump on poetry month in april by hearing robin coste lewis give a free talk about her 2015 national book awardwinning poetry collection voyage of the sable venus at 7 p. The voyage of the sable venus has made its own voyagethat words bitter irony, lost on its original audience, is now its meaningand ended up in this arresting book, whose title. Dec 21, 2015 politics were at play when lewis came across thomas stothards voyage of the sable venus from angola to the west indies, the etching that inspired her books titular poem about commentary on.
Voyage of the sable venus and other poems is the debut collection of poetry by robin coste lewis, published in 2015 by alfred a. Voyage of the sable venus poet talks about awardwinning. Its thrilling centerpiece is its 79page title poem, consists almost entirely of the titles of western artworks, spread over some 40,000 years, which comment on the black female figurems. Robin coste lewis author of voyage of the sable venus and.
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