Chrisman, Robert

The Dirty Wars: New Poems with: Ephemera

San Francisco, CA: The Black Scholar Press, 2012. First Edition, First Printing. Softcover. Inscribed, signed & dated by Robert Chrisman to Laurence Goldstein. "Chrisman's poignant poems speak of alienation - in families, in a world of machinery...There is a concurrent theme: 'In suffering we shall find / The lost garden of our grace,' and these elegant poems do exactly that." (Los Angeles Times," back cover). The poetry collection The Dirty Wars: New Poems is a testament to poet & former University of Michigan professor Robert Chrisman's (1937-2013) mastery of poetics. Chrisman's last published collection is structured around the theme of war and its impact on individuals and communities. The Dirty Wars is organized into 4 parts: The Dirty Wars, Letter to a Feminist, Letter of Reference and My Father’s Mittens respectively. Each section commences with an eponymous elegy, in which Chrisman examines themes that filter into the accompanying poems in the section. Chrisman's poetry is characterized by its use of surreal imagery and moral indignation, often exploring the consequences of war and its effects on human relationships and the environment. The collection includes a variety of themes such as the endurance of the human spirit in the face of oppression, the psychological scars left by war, and the call for peace & reconciliation. In November 1969, Chrisman co-founded "The Black Scholar" with fellow poets & educators Nathan Hare (1933-2024) & Allan Ross (1922-2001). The launching of TBS followed in the wake of the 1968 historic strike at San Francisco State University, which involved thousands of students and faculty, including Chrisman & Hare, in a prolonged and sometimes violent struggle with the administration and the state. The strike, one of the longest of its kind in the US, lasted for five months and grew out of frustrations of black students & instructors who wanted the university to establish an independent Black Studies department. These demands were eventually won but Chrisman paid a high price for the victory; he & Hare were fired from their teaching positions. Chrisman was reinstated but not in a tenure-track position. Disappointed with the way in which black struggles were being represented by the mainstream media, Chrisman, Hare & Ross concluded an independent journal was needed. They determined to create an interdisciplinary journal to unite black street activists and academic intellectuals in common advocacy for the needs of the black community. TBS & Chrisman's poetry serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and the importance of remembering the victims of war. We have found & retained two letters of recommendation from U of M professor & co-editor of Chrisman's anthology Robert Hayden: Essays on the Poetry Laurence Goldstein (1943-2023), in which Goldstein waxes eloquently to the University of Nebraska at Omaha & the University of California, Berkeley about the benefits of hiring Chrisman, "the most congenial colleague I (Goldstein) have ever met" as well as two letters of correspondence between Chrisman & Goldstein where they discuss the wonders of "The Dirty Wars," amongst other personal matters. From the collection of the aforementioned Laurence Goldstein, poet, editor, and professor at the University of Michigan Department of English Language & Literature. At title page, Chrisman has inscribed, signed & dated to Goldstein in charcoal black ink: "Larry, my best | to you and Nancy | (signed) Robert Chrisman | August 17, 2012." Trade-Format Softcover Original: First Edition, first printing per copyright page & number sequence thereon. A most collectible Chrisman poetry selection, in its rarest contemporary form, with relevant association & very distinguished provenance, greatly enhanced by the poet-to-poet letters of correspondence, Goldstein's letters of recommendation & Chrisman's inscription, signature & date. Book in relatively very fine condition with very mild wear to corners & fine edges of front, back covers & spine; very mild rubbing to text block. Interior very fine with no discernable flaws. Letters of recommendation (appx: 8" x 11;" folded horizontally) very fine with very mild age-toning mostly to blank margins & fine edges of pages; very light wear to same. Letters of correspondence {1 & 2} (appx: 8" x 11;" {1} folded horizontally, {2} horizontal tri-fold) very fine with occasions of handwritten marginalia/corrections to both; Chrisman has inscribed & signed his letter to Goldstein in raven black ink: "Be well Larry - | Life is good! | (signed) Robert." Very Fine. [Item #8831]

Price: $40.00