Ducornet, Rikki (Jacobs, Brian)

The Star Chamber

Boulder, CO: Kavyayantra Press, 1995. First Edition. Folded Sheets. Signed twice, dated, & inscribed by Rikki Ducornet to Brian Jacobs. “At dusk he was brought / before the Star Chamber. / We stripped him of his / clothes; we cut his belly / open so that he could hide / nothing. We taped up his / mouth and asked him to / speak. He would not / answer our questions / although we beat him / repeatedly about the face / and feet…”--Rikki Ducornet, "The Star Chamber". Rikki Ducornet (b. 1943) is an American writer, poet, and artist known for her linguistically explosive, socially relevant, avant-garde poetics. The author of ten novels, collections of essays, short fiction and poetry, her work has received The Bard College Arts and Letters Award (1998), The Lannan Literary Award for Fiction (2004) and The Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2008). Her novel, The Jade Cabinet, was a finalist for The National Book Critics Circle Award (1993). She has received numerous fellowships including a Bunting Fellowship at Radcliffe, a Copeland Colloquium fellowship at Amherst College, and most recently, support from The Foundation Beaumarchais (Paris). She has been a tenured Writer in Residence at both Denver University (1988-2000) and the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (2008); a Visiting Hurst Professor at Washington University St. Louis (2009) and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Trento, Italy (1994) Of her work, William Gass has written: “Rikki Ducornet’s books search for a way to heal the wound in our psyche—our shame and suppression of our nature—which has led not only to denial of this world on behalf of another one, but has repeatedly allowed authority and its agents to blind us to beauty, to make our passions poisonous, and to corral and confine the imagination.” offered today is a 1995 broadside of Ducornet’s The Star Chamber. Originally published in 1974, The Star Chamber is Ducornet’s first collection of poetry and was provoked by a chilling account of the torture of a pregnant leftist agitator just after the coup d’état in Greece, which she recounts through a series of surrealist vingettes. This 1995 folded broadside presents the titular poem The Star Chamber in a wonderfully avant-garde way. A single sheet folded into a booklet, The Star Chamber is a compact booklet that features the poem as well as gorgeous cover art of a medical illustration of vascular arms in striking purple ink. A rare Ducornet piece that is as handsome as it is profound and scarce! From the collection of Brian Jacobs (b. 1969) who, in 1994, had just begun his attendance at the Kerouac School/Naropa University (then Naropa Institute), & was beginning his studies with Ginsberg, Anne Waldman (the very co-founders of the School) et al. Later during his sojourn at Naropa of 1994-1996, Jacobs would become Ginsberg's official assistant. Since those heady days of Beat Anointment in the 1990s, Jacobs has gone on to become a most-distinguished author, publisher & academician, a True Beat Progeny who now resides here in Ann Arbor & is our good friend & colleague. We have been privileged to obtain Jacobs' stellar collection, highlights of which, including this especially lofty gem, are the exclusive focus of this group of New Arrivals. Signed, dated & inscribed by the author in both thin pink and black ink to Brian Jacobs at both inside front cover and at colophon: “For Brian / with [undiscernable] / friendship. / Rikki.” in pink ink, and “Rikki ‘95” in black ink. Single sheet folded broadside. First & presumably only printing. In very fine condition with only very slight wear to fine edges. Very Fine. [Item #8591]

Price: $100.00