Harwood, Lee

Landscapes

London, England, UK: Fulcrum Press, 1969. First Edition. Hardcover. “Your temple music is fine / & there is such weight & ceremony in the actions / the swaying voices of faceless religious / Coming down the trail the yaks & behind them / the dazzling gold of the monastery roofs / high up the valley / When you fall silent / there’s only the dark brown of your eyes – at dawn / I find flecks of green / Whatever it is… / the white rocks were very slippery / Chalk / Dawk woods beside all this / In the distance vague lines of colour / caught by the sun / So many small bells / tinkling in the sunlight / the brass flashing / You are beyond this / Not in the desert though I am at fault / the morning only reveals further cruelties / after such richness / you are faced with / the coming night & a long trek across the plateau / where the darkness is cut by loud reports / from boulders cracking with the ice / Though I act as guide it is your light / that radiates from the sanctuary / I let you enter then wait outside / knowing what your return could mean / It is a matter of stripping these animal hides / from the walls of our hut & feeling their strength / once more.”--Lee Harwood, “Tibet,” pg. 37. Lee Harwood (1939=2015) was an English poet associated, primarily, with the British Poetry Revival movement. Harwood was born in Leicester and raised in Chertsey, Surrey. He studied at Queen Mary College, University of London and soon became involved in the London poetry scene of the 1960s. The author of over 20 volumes of poetry, fiction, and translations, his poetry collections include Collected Poems 1964-2004, Selected Poems (2008), and The Orchid Boat (2014). His work is influenced equally by Romantic poets such as John Clare (1793-1864) and William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and by 20th-century movements such as Dada, the Black Mountain poets, and the New York School. Offered today is the 1969 collection of poetry, Landscapes. Imbued with the influence and sensibility of the New York School, especially that of John Ashberry (1927-2017), Landscapes is an early Harwood work that, while blending a number of different influences, still remains undeniably Harwood. Grounded, vivid, somewhat experimental, and rendering various landscapes in gorgeous language, Landscapes is a collection that contemplates space, revels in nature, and asks fundamental questions about man's place in the world. From the collection of Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed mate in the UK who managed the fabled Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, England for founder Bill Butler (1934-1977, the famed American-expatriate bookseller & publisher). From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, Unicorn proffered & published many outstanding productions by William S. Burroughs, J.G. Ballard et al., some of which have become the scarcest, all-but-unobtainable Beat-&-Beyond collectibles (see for example our item nos. 8217, 8366). After prevailing against censorious harassment efforts, Unicorn closed & Butler died in short order. Cupidi went on to found the Public House Bookshop in Brighton, which had a long & successful run but is also now closed, & he still resides there. We have been honored to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all the remaining treasures of Unicorn & Public House, some of which have become the stuff of myth. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket. First edition as stated at copyright page, presumed first printing though not specified thereon. Book in relatively very fine condition with minor wear to fine edges, slight scratching/staining to front and back covers. Dust jacket relatively fine-very fine with moderate wear to fine edges, slight tearing at top near spine, moderate smudging/staining to front, back covers & spine, and mild discoloration due to age-toning throughout. Very Fine / Fine-Very Fine. [Item #8676]

Price: $50.00