The Porcupine's Kisses (Poets, Penguin)

Stephen Dobyns is one of America's most respected poets; his manner is tart and often sardonic, his language tough, funny, yet at heart profoundly humane. In his eleventh book of poetry he pushes the boundaries of conventional collections, presenting an intriguing two-part volume. The first section contains ruminative prose poems, dealing with a man who is looking back over the successes and failures of his life, that are intercut with short "considerations" in the manner of the Maxims of La Rochefoucauld. The second section presents an alphabetical selection of words defined by Dobyns in evocative one-line phrases. Punctuating the text throughout are woodcuts and line drawings by the artist Howie Michels. A compelling exploration of attitudes, words, and concepts, this is an important addition to Doybns's body of work.