The list is a wonderful place to start for anyone looking to catch up on their 2009 poetry books. Ted Genoways describes National Anthem as "the collection of the year" and writes
These poems look back on America from a not-so-distant future during and after the apocalypse that toppled our empire. Prufer’s speaker shuttles between anger and ironic bemusement as he catalogs visions of destruction and the survival of the worst of us. When the speaker sets off to find what’s left of America, for example, only the Motel 6 and Waffle House seem to be thriving. It’s like Omega Man meets The Waste Land—which is to say that’s it’s a biting social critique of our times, but it also feels legitimately visionary (and scary)
You can listen to Kevin Prufer talking about National Anthem and his other books over at New Letters On The Air.
National Anthem is available directly from Four Way Books at a 32% discount. Order it, and all our other titles, here . We hope you'll take a look at Kevin's work, and the exciting books we've got lined up for 2009.
