Reviews

Airstream Land Yacht by Ken Babstock

thebeardedpoet's review against another edition

1.0

In this third collection, Ken Babstock's poetry has moved away from lucid narratives and into the territory of the mind talking to itself (Thanks John Ashbery, you've ruined another good one!)--at least that's what I guess is going on. This is a huge disappoint for me, since I loved his first two collections. I read 42 pages of Airstream Land Yacht and just could not take it anymore. With rare exception ("Palindromic" and "A Brochure") I found the poems difficult to the point of impenetrable. The language was so cerebral I could not even enjoy it for its own sake. One might even accuse Babstock of riddling and purposeful obfuscation. I have had it! This collection is going in my discard pile.