The Boxer of Quirinal

BOOK DETAILS

ISBN: 1636280919
Publisher: Red Hen Press
Format: Hardcover
Publication Date: June 20, 2023
Page Count: 96
Category: American - General
Language: English

The Boxer of Quirinal

by John Barr

All animals—from majestic herons to humble inchworms—face challenges in their quest for survival. But humanity must confront an additional obstacle: the ongoing presence of war. So, how do we live with it? The poems in The Boxer of Quirinal by John Barr, a Vietnam veteran, delve into the heart of this profound and unanswerable question. With meditations on events as small as the albatross breeding and as monumental as the fall of Rome, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Normandy Landings, Barr interweaves past and present, nature and history, inviting readers to contemplate the connections.

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PRAISE

“John Barr’s collection takes its title from an ancient Greek statue that was unearthed after 2,000 years—a fitting emblem for a poet inspired by the deep connections between past and present, history and nature. Whether he is writing about mushrooms on a forest floor or a Civil War battle, Barr offers pleasures that are seldom found in contemporary poetry: a strong formal imagination and the company of an adventurous mind.”
—Adam Kirsch, author of The Discarded Life

“In his tenth book of poems, John Barr succeeds with an ambitious spectrum of form and content. His subject matter spans from classical to contemporary. Like his titled boxer, Barr contends with all sorts of challenges, and he prevails, whether encountering a haruspex or a utility company! Most outstanding is his epic on the South China Sea, where politics meets poetics and history tells a story with surprising strength and finesse.”
—Susan Kinsolving, author of Peripheral Vision

BOOK DETAILS

ISBN: 1636280919
Publisher: Red Hen Press
Format: Hardcover
Publication Date: June 20, 2023
Page Count: 96
Category: American - General
Language: English

A Reader's Companion to The Boxer of Quirinal by John Barr cover

A Reader’s Companion to The Boxer of Quirinal

by John Barr

A Reader’s Companion to The Boxer of Quirinal offers illuminating commentary from John Barr on select poems from the book, complete with sample poems as well as Rockwell Kent-inspired illustrations created with the assistance of AI.