Meltzer, David

French Broom

Berkeley, CA: Oyez Press, 1973. First Edition. Sewn Binding. Signed by David Meltzer to William Everson (a.k.a. Brother Antinonus). “Allow me these fragments/They are my poem/My poem is pieces/Here & there/Chips off the old blockhead/One wall cracks apart/Not from despair but rain/Plaster falling on the floor/Reminds me of a poem/I write whenever I get/Time to sit down.” ("I", pg 1) David Meltzer (1937–2016) was born in Rochester, New York, and raised in Brooklyn. He began his literary career during the San Francisco Renaissance-Beat Generation period in North Beach, California, and his work was included in the anthology, The New American Poetry 1945-1960. At the age of 20 he experimented with recording his poetic works with jazz musicians in Los Angeles and also became a singer-songwriter and guitarist for several bands during the 1960s, including The Serpent Power. He is the author of over 40 volumes of poetry, including Arrows: Selected Poetry 1957–1992, No Eyes: Lester Young (2000), Beat Thing (2004), and David’s Copy (2005). He also published fiction and essays, and edited numerous anthologies and collections of interviews, such as The Secret Garden: An Anthology in the Kabbalah (1976), Reading Jazz (1993), Writing Jazz (1999), Birth: Anthology of Ancient Texts, Songs, Prayers, and Stories (1981), Death: Anthology of Texts, Songs, Charms, Prayers, and Tales (1981), San Francisco Beat: Talking with the Poets (2001), and When I Was A Poet (2011). Interestingly enough, back in 2023 we had the pleasure of hosting one of Meltzer's students, Patrick James Dunagan, as he presented his book Rock Tao (2022); a collection of Meltzer's rambling, cohesive rock-n-roll poetics diary originally written in 1965 (which one can pick up in our store today!). Offered today is a uniquely rare collection of Meltzer’s poetic works, The French Broom (1973). This collection, like many of Meltzer’s works, bleeds with the sort of poetic style that would come to characterize the San Francisco Renaissance, and is clearly shot-through with the sensibilities of the Beat Generation. Meltzer’s work & his life, earned him the infamously hard-won praise of both Diane Di Prima (1934–2020) and Lawrence Felinghetti (1919-2021); the former saying “David Meltzer is a hidden adept, one of the secret treasures on our planet. Great poet, musician, comic; mystic unsurpassed, performer with few peers.”; the latter saying “One of the greats of post-World War Two San Francisco poets and musicians. He brought music to poetry and poetry to music!” Meltzer has signed and sketched on the front cover in thin brown ink an inscription that reads “For Brother Bill, Love David Meltzer. 12 August, 73, Kensington!” Brother Bill being the legendary poet William Everson [Brother Antinonus]. Sewn binding. First limited edition, one in a run of 250 as stated at colophon. Chapbook is in very fine condition with only slight wear to fine edges. Very Fine. [Item #6839]

Price: $60.00