Breit, Luke

Unintended Lessons: Poems

ISBN: 0936609397
Fort Bragg, CA: QED Press, 1999. First Edition. Softcover. “Luke Breit was part of the group of us younger poets who resurrected and revised Beatitude magazine. He was the editor of the initial revision issue Beatitude No. 21. He is the son of Harvey Breit, who was a well-known writer for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and part of the New York literary establishment during a previous generation. His father knew [Norman] Mailer and all the well-known literati of that era, some of whom Luke had also known as a youngster when he was growing up back in New York–which explains the connections and blurbs on the back of his first book of poems. He was an integral and active part of the whole Beatitude project, if you want to call it that. He was a daily presence in North Beach, both at Discovery Books where he worked and in all the cafes and bars in the bohemian community, which was reflected in his poetry during those years. He later moved to Sacramento and worked as part of the California political establishment there.”--Thomas Rain Crowe, Thomas Rain Crowe Archive, pg 13. Offered today is the ceaselessly interesting, and increasingly rare 1999 collection of poetry, Unintended Lessons by Luke Breit. Breit, while not exceptionally prolific, was a particularly respected poet within the North Beach poetic community. To illustrate just how respected Breit was in a scene over-flowing with great, respected writers, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919–2021) had the following to say on Unintended Lessons: “Luke Breit’s poems sound with his talking voice, a voice full of compassion, honesty, sensitivity, remembrance, stilled passions and passing life, and somehow all like parts of a novel never written…” Similarly, Norman Mailer (1923–2007) had the following to say: “...when have I ever failed to take pleasure in Luke Breit’s poetry? [He is] the most reliable poet I know when it comes to making me feel good.” This level of praise from poets who are not only incredibly respected themselves, but also known to be harsh critics, only goes to show how respected Breit’s work was. Unintended Lessons feels like the nostalgia of a perfect Summer's day as a youth. Breit’s mastery over atmosphere, composition, and use of meter drips off the page and dares the reader to not crack a smile while reading. From the archive of Thomas Rain Crowe, the legendary American poet and co-authorial founder of the Second San Francisco Renaissance. For more information on the Thomas Rain Crowe archive (assembled & curated by Third Mind Books), see our book Starting From San Francisco: Thomas Rain Crowe in Conversation with Third Mind Books (item #3071) & the catalog for the Crowe archive (see item #1010), which contains several excerpts and quotations from the book as well as a full listing of the archive’s contents, which are now being offered for sale individually on the Third Mind Books site. Softcover. First edition as stated at copyright page, presumed first printing though not explicated as such. Book is in very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges and minimal smudging to front and back covers. Very Fine. [Item #7306]

Price: $40.00