PHILOSOPHY What leads us to small things like envy, procrastination, and anger, and on to Something. as ‘unfathomable as. the Holocaust? They suggest that morality, though shaped by culture and tempered ambiguities of intent, is, finally, objective and can be agreed upon. For Specialists and informed laypersons.— Glenn Petersen, Sociology & Anthro- pology Dept., Baruch Coll, CUNY Spitz, David. The Real World of Liber- alism, ‘Uni of haan, 18,2 inden. LCA Tabs ISBN O26 69739. $20 Pou ct Any philosophy of liberalism assumes three, sometimes troubling, principles: uncertainty, tolerance, and compro- mise. Spitz takes these as the focus of his essays (mast of which “orally Appeared in Dissent between 1966 and 1976). He discusses the liberal perspec- tive on revolution, democracy, tree dom, and human nature: tackles. the probiem of political labels: reviews er tiques of Mill's On Liberey (emerging for the most part in his defense): exam- ines definitions of equality; and offers Cogent arguments in opposition to the writings of Wolff, Marcuse, Raoul Berger, Nozick, and Skinner. Although each essay provides. interesting Sights, the collection is somewhat re- peitive, Fr subject collections lacking ack years of Dissent —Susan Marte Szasz, Cornell Univ. Lib ‘Trias, Eugenio. The Artist and the City. Calin, Uni, Pr, (European Pespcies) fw feng Kenneth ‘Krabenhct ISBN O.25rs28e3, 81730 rm Arranged in historical order, these eight essays explore the philosophical relationship between creative thinkers and their social contexts. Plato's for- ‘mulation of the artist's “questionable place in the city is developed with Incisive references particularly to the Phaedrus and the Republic. The theme Of creating soul and worldly milieu is continued in discussions of Pico della Mirandola, Goethe, Hegel, Wagner, Nietzsche, and Thomas Mann. Trias also criticizes Ortega y Gasset and demonstrates the uses and limitations of Lacanian hermeneutics. Winner of the IV Premio Anagrama de Ensayo, in 1975, this book will introduce Ameri can graduate students to an insightful Spanish scholar—Francisea Gold- smith, Northeastern Univ. Lib., Bos- ton Poetry Baudelaire, Charles. Les Fleurs du Mal. Godine. 982, 384p bilingual ed. tr. by Rich. fd Howard ius. bY Michael Mazur: index. LC Siajsanh ISBN OrszsazS-y 822 00 Md od ISBN D4935350 56, roe Senior American translator Howard describes this translation as “one poet by one poet,” and stresses that he has included ail poems in the Pléiade edi- tion. The emphasis on American En- alish is inconsequential since Baude Taire requires a neutral idiom: com- pleteness means that Howard had 10 1465 LIBRARY JOURNAL/AUGUST 1982 POETRY translate poems for which he (admit tedly) felt no affinity. and occasionally his boredom and distaste show. Reject- ing rhyme and concentrating on = the- matics," he is most successful with the prose. poems. French originals ‘com. prise the second hal. Jounna Richard Son's facing-page format (Selected Po- mms, Penguin, 1975) 1s better for teach ing, and her translations are equally competent. For poetic felicity, the gent eral reader will Jo beter with Marthiel find Jackson Mathews" anthology (New Directions, 1962) and no translator yet has improved on the classic Dillon: Millay version (Harper, 1936) —Mari- tym Gaddis Rose, Comparative Litera: fare Dept., SUNY at Binghamton Blue Cloud, Peter. Elderberry Flute ‘Song: contemporary coyote tales. ‘Crossing Pr. Aug. 1982, 142. ius, by Bill Crosby Le tiogs. ISHN apse onL SI9S: paps ISBN 085594.00:8, $6.95. Peter Blue Cloud, Mohawk poet, is part of the growing renaissance of Na- tive American writers who are using their oral traditions in the writing of books, Elderberry Flure Song begins with Coyote the demiurge in a piece (The Cry") which, in a quieter way, reminds one of Ted Hughes’ Crovi (Hughes seems to have drawn upon the Trickster Raven, Coyote’s northwest cousin). Blue Cloud then proceeds to take Coyote from mythic time to the present day in poems, prose poems, and stories that show Coyote’s endur: ing vitality. Coyote is obscene, amoral, comic, wise. “Along the way, Blue Cloud has him expose anthropologists and other academics, as well as go on a trip to England, He even has him dis- ‘cuss relativity. Recommended.—Brian ‘Swann, Humanities Dept... Cooper Union, New York Bread, Hashish and Moon: four modern Arab poets. Unicor, Greensboro. (Keepsake Series) 1982 ‘fp eB yen Benno, y Ricard Eshop y Kamal Bula ggrrsnen: sh SBN OME ‘Three ofthese poets are Syrian: Nizir Qabbani, Adonis, Badr Shakir Al- Sayyib, Mahmad Darwish is from Pal- estine. Their ages range from 40 to 58. All, except Al-Sayyab who is dead, live in Beirut. When these poets touch on current affairs they display reserve laved with gentle fatalism. Conserva- tism rather than experiment or radical thought dominates, The translations are efficient and clear, although—per- hhaps because there is a single transla- tor—the poems sound as if they came from one pen.—Robert Peters. English Dept, Univ. of California, Irvine Murray, Les A. The Vernacular Repub- SORES, Sok ae aw asoatenn$ Se38 a ror “We ure a language species,” Murray tells us. This fine, coherent Australian poet is a lover of language and of his native land, using these passions 10 weave poems that range from the lyric and occasional to longer cycles that assume near epic proportion. "The Fa- POETRY thers and the Great-Grand fathers, they are out in the paddocks! all the time, they live out there’ at the place of the Rail Fence, of the Furrow under Grass, at the place of the Slab Chimney. Murray offers us a clear-eyed view of ‘Australian farm land and custom, the generations, the tension between the Silent land and the civilized rituals of city life. Respect for quiddities and lore, sharp humor, and tough lyricism ‘mark this long volume. ‘These are ob- servant, intelligent, and traditional po- ems from one whose enthusiasm for Tanguage is well matched by the care he takes inits service —Margaret Gibson, English Dept., Univ. of Connecticut, Groton Campus Nye, Naomi Shihab. Hugging the Juke- Dox. Dutton. (National Posey Series) 1982, 639. LC ALIS ISBN. OS25241167, S120 pap. ISBN 025477005. $595, own The spirituality that characterizes the writings of Mark Strand and A. R. Ammons is present also in these lovely, durable poems. But Nye makes things cific: tortillas are sliced and fried, a blue bicycle waits for alittle girl to ride it, “apples crack slick and hard in the palm." As she ranges up and down the ‘Americas (Texas, Mexico, Honduras, Peru), the poet seems to be in good, easy relation with the earth and its peoples, so that when she says “the hhands are churches that worship the world,” we believe her.—David Kirby English Dept., Florida State Univ Tallahassee Pijewski, John, Dinner with Uncle Jo- Wesleyan Univ, Pr dit by Columbia Uni. fn ot No. TS Tt TaN OSDbS21008 SIS" pup, ISBN OSS: tg. rormey This splendid collection shows tena ciousness and courage. It begins with a confrontation with Polish heritage: the Father will not stay dead. He is left ‘On the dining room table"; and, at Christmas, he is wired “with colored lights."” He is inscrutable and harrow- ing, perhaps because, like the Polish mother who “Bends to see whether her loaf of rye/ Is burning in the oven,” he can accept his roots. In Part 1. the son cannot. But Part 2 is a reconsideration. Grief is no longer private: every one “gets it.” even the prodigy, Lester Gordon, ‘who's “been getting it since hhe was seven years old." So, in the last poem, Pijewski tells himself: “Keep digging: keep digging.” He did: he does. Highly recommended.—Joseph Garrison, English Dept... Mary Baldwin Coll., Staunton, Va. Santos, Sherod. Accidental Weather. Doubly: (National Posy Sein). 100. Hp. igs LC 43898" TSBN 0.448: 19080.0. 810.9 pup, ISBN O85 10819. $895. roriny A‘ winner in the 1982, National Poetry Series competition, this is aremarkably Strong collection, Santos explores the classic “poetic | repertory—childhood., memory, beauty and its sadness, love and its 1oss—with imaginative care and sincerity. Weather and landscape recur throughout as metaphorical arzuments, of the self: “Is the way! we believeCopyright © 2002 EBSCO Publishing