{"product_id":"the-cineaste-poems","title":"The Cineaste: Poems","description":"“Finds evocative new ways to connect us to a shared storytelling heritage.”―Entertainment Weekly A. Van Jordan, an acclaimed American poet and the author of three previous volumes, “demonstrates poetry’s power to be at once intimate and wide-ranging” (Robert Pinsky, Washington Post Book World). In this penetrating new work he takes us with him to the movies, where history reverberates and characters are larger than life. The Cineaste is an entrancing montage of poems, wherein film serves as the setting for contemplative trances, memoir, and pure fantasy. At its center is a sonnet sequence that imagines the struggle of pioneer filmmaker Oscar Micheaux against D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, which Micheaux saw not only as racist but also as the start of a powerful new art form. “Sharpen the focus in your lens, and you \/ Sharpen your view of the world; you can see \/ How people inhabit space in their lives, \/ How the skin of Negroes and whites both play \/ With light.” Scenes and characters from films such as Metropolis, Stranger than Paradise, Last Year at Marienbad, The Red Shoes, and The Great Train Robbery also come to luminous life in this vibrant new collection. The Cineaste is an extended riff on Jordan’s life as a moviegoer and a brilliant exploration of film, poetry, race, and the elusiveness of reverie.\nfrom “Last Year at Marienbad”\n\nA place, though visible, is like a ghost\nof memories. Even memories one forgets\nlinger in the space in which they occurred.\nHere within the expanse of vaulted ceilings,\n\ndoorways leading to more doors, hallways\nleading to more halls, the faintest recollections\nabsorb over time; no act will wholly evanesce.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0393348733\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.0393348733.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Jordan, A. Van\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43534221049917,"sku":"BVV.0393348733.G","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/0393348733-0.jpg?v=1788214678","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/the-cineaste-poems","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}