{"product_id":"how-chet-baker-died-poems-hardcover","title":"How Chet Baker Died: Poems - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBarry Gifford\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePoems from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eRoy's World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWild at Heart\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other works\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe first words in Barry Gifford's new poetry collection say it all--\"Here I am wasting time again \/ writing poems to keep myself company\" -- doing what he has ever done, surprising his readers in kaleidoscopic prisms of color, turning every breath into a story, and himself into his most colorful character. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eShe stood and walked across the lawn\u003cbr\u003epast the cottage and into the big house.\u003cbr\u003eHe stayed to watch the last of the sunset, \u003cbr\u003ewaiting for the flash of green.\u003cbr\u003eWhen it was finally dark and there was\u003cbr\u003eno moon and the fireflies appeared, \u003cbr\u003ehe got up and began walking toward the house.\u003cbr\u003eHe loved the Italian word for firefly, \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003elucciola\u003c\/i\u003e. She was like that, flickering\u003cbr\u003eon and off from moment to moment.\u003cbr\u003eAs he approached the house, he could hear\u003cbr\u003eher singing: \u003ci\u003eVogliatemi bene, un bene \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003epiccolino\u003c\/i\u003e. It's so strange, he thought, \u003cbr\u003elife's so fast and time's too slow.\u003cbr\u003eHe stopped and watched the fireflies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOr this: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn my dream someone asked me if\u003cbr\u003eI remembered Frank Jackson\u003cbr\u003eHearing this name brought tears\u003cbr\u003eto my eyes though I've never\u003cbr\u003eknown anyone by that name \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe mystery in these poems lives just beyond the province of words. In a strange way, Barry Gifford's poems tell a wordless story, freed of the writer's art. \"It's dangerous to remember \/ so much, especially for a writer \/ The temptation to make sense \/ of it is always there \/ where you and I \/ are no longer.\" Daily life, family and friends, are much more important here than books. The beauty and elusiveness of women and music are of utmost importance, far more so than literature. As he attests: \"I prefer music to poems, words don't\u003cbr\u003elive the same way--so, listen.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBARRY GIFFORD\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of more than forty published works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, which have been translated into thirty languages. He began as a poet, and always returns to that \"lyrical but laconic, compassionate but unsentimental\" voice. His most recent books include \u003ci\u003eBlack Sun Rising\u003c\/i\u003e\/\u003ci\u003eLa Corazonada\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRoy's World: Stories 1973-2020\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Writers\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSailor \u0026amp; Lula: The Complete Novels\u003c\/i\u003e. His most recent poetry collection is \u003ci\u003eImagining Paradise: New and Selected Poems\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eWild at Heart\u003c\/i\u003e, directed by David Lynch and based on Gifford's 1990 novel of the same name (one of the eight novels included in \u003ci\u003eSailor \u0026amp; Lula\u003c\/i\u003e), from a script co-written by Lynch and Gifford, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990, the same year in which \u003ci\u003eWild at Heart\u003c\/i\u003e was first published. Gifford and Lynch also cowrote the original screenplay for \u003ci\u003eLost Highway\u003c\/i\u003e. Gifford lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 112\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 9.31 x 5.81 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 12, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51767334895904,"sku":"9781644211540","price":23.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/57be5994e58247a995aa5cef63e4a59c.webp?v=1780309188","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/how-chet-baker-died-poems-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}