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A review by casparb
The Ghost Soldiers by James Tate
a reread of what may be my favourite tate collection. Why's it my favourite? Because it's long, there's more of him
he cannot help but be the icon
2022:
My first proper brush with James Tate and The Ghost Soldiers is ridiculous in all sorts of ways. There's the practical consideration of this being Tate's fifteenth (!!) collection and it's two hundred pages long. It's rare for a poem in it to be under a page in length as well. He's a busy hand.
He's rather an idiosyncratic fellow but surprisingly the closest comparison I could make is Jack Underwood who I have little doubt is in various ways influenced by JT (Justin Timberlake). I find JU (Jammer's Union) more amenable myself but it's tempting to read JT (Jezebel Tendencies) as a kind of raw material. That's a disservice but I'm in circles.
Just had a brief glance at the reviews here to confirm my suspicions that people are whining about whether this is Really Poetry as if that isn't a tired debate. (get over ). I think the blurb hedges its bets and calls this prose poetry which it kind of is but it's probably more accurate to call it one hundred or so Americana-Paranoiac microfictions but aren't we absolutely sick of these labels. Here's another- it's very funny I was amused and came round to it after my initial concerns. I shall read more Tate he's a warm soul
he cannot help but be the icon
2022:
My first proper brush with James Tate and The Ghost Soldiers is ridiculous in all sorts of ways. There's the practical consideration of this being Tate's fifteenth (!!) collection and it's two hundred pages long. It's rare for a poem in it to be under a page in length as well. He's a busy hand.
He's rather an idiosyncratic fellow but surprisingly the closest comparison I could make is Jack Underwood who I have little doubt is in various ways influenced by JT (Justin Timberlake). I find JU (Jammer's Union) more amenable myself but it's tempting to read JT (Jezebel Tendencies) as a kind of raw material. That's a disservice but I'm in circles.
Just had a brief glance at the reviews here to confirm my suspicions that people are whining about whether this is Really Poetry as if that isn't a tired debate. (get over ). I think the blurb hedges its bets and calls this prose poetry which it kind of is but it's probably more accurate to call it one hundred or so Americana-Paranoiac microfictions but aren't we absolutely sick of these labels. Here's another- it's very funny I was amused and came round to it after my initial concerns. I shall read more Tate he's a warm soul