Codrescu, Andrei

The Lady Painter

Boston, MA: The Four Zoas Press, 1977. Limited First Edition. Sewn Wrappers. "She is painting an eye on the side of a hill. We watch her/ through binoculars but she has already painted the ends of/ our binoculars black. She goes on painting over an eye here/ and then painting an eye over the eye she painted over." (from "The Lady Painter," pg. 11) An early chapbook of poems & prose-poems by Andrei Codrescu, the acclaimed & prolific Romanian-American poet, essayist, screenwriter & radio commentator. With the title poem (quoted above) & several other evocative, probing & rather surreal pieces. Chapbook in sewn wrappers, a beautiful letterpress production with reproduction of a medieval woodcut on front cover. One of an edition of 300 (un-numbered) copies per colophon. From the collection of the late Erin Black Matson, the artist-poet who, with her then-husband the noted poet & educator Clive Matson, was a member of the Beat Generation- morphing into the hippie counterculture during the 1960s. The Matsons were protégé-colleagues (in lifestyle as well as literature...) of Herbert Huncke, Bonnie Bremser et al. A scarce & very interesting Codrescu collectible with distinguished provenance. The relatively good-to-near-fine condition of this chapbook befits its long ownership & use by Erin, a tried-&-True Beat-Bohemian to the end. Moderate-to-somewhat-significant rubbing, spot-staining & mild creasing to front, back covers & sewn spine; light-to-moderate wear & some tiny bumps, creases at thin edges & corners of same; large area of front cover upper edge/ right corner with moderate loss of paper (likely the result of nibblings by Erin's cats or other small creatures); much less of same at back cover upper edge (side edge of front cover irregular on handmade paper as issued). Interior block (smaller than wraps) very fine with only sparse spotting at blank margins of a few pages; short, faint creases to some leaves at binding. Good- Near Fine. [Item #4730]

Price: $20.00 save 20% $16.00