The Art of Daring

A writer's (and a reader's) manifesto, a testament to the importance of taking risks. . . . So many of [The Art of Daring's] points, its arguments, cross the blurry lines of genre to situate themselves at the center of why we read and write. -- Los Angeles Times A writer's (and a reader's) manifesto, a testament to the importance of taking risks. . . . So many of [The Art of Daring's] points, its arguments, cross the blurry lines of genre to situate themselves at the center of why we read and write. Los Angeles Times A writer's (and a reader's) manifesto, a testament to the importance of taking risks. . . . So many of [The Art of Daring's] points, its arguments, cross the blurry lines of genre to situate themselves at the center of why we read and write. --Los Angeles Times Praise for The Art of Daring A writer's (and a reader's) manifesto, a testament to the importance of taking risks. . . . So many of [The Art of Daring's] points, its arguments, cross the blurry lines of genre to situate themselves at the center of why we read and write. -- Los Angeles Times Praise for Coin of the Realm Whether he is writing about George Herbert, Sylvia Plath, or Langston Hughes, whether he is making a case for beauty or thinking about the nature of race and gender, myth and fable, in American poetry, Carl Phillips's prose is intriguing, learned, and unconventional, filled with insights and surprises, brightened by luminosities. --Edward Hirsch Readers of Carl Phillips's poetry will have some preparation for the pleasures and insights of this volume, particularly in its subtlety, originality, and historical range. . . . Incisive essays on George Herbert, the Psalms, the place of race and identity in habits of perception and reading, and the author's growth as a writer are unified by central questions of beauty and ethics that will be of interest to anyone who cares about literature. --Susan Stewart Praise for Coin of the Realm Whether he is writing about George Herbert, Sylvia Plath, or Langston Hughes, whether he is making a case for beauty or thinking about the nature of race and gender, myth and fable, in American poetry, Carl Phillips's prose is intriguing, learned, and unconventional, filled with insights and surprises, brightened by luminosities. --Edward Hirsch Readers of Carl Phillips's poetry will have some preparation for the pleasures and insights of this volume, particularly in its subtlety, originality, and historical range. . . . Incisive essays on George Herbert, the Psalms, the place of race and identity in habits of perception and reading, and the author's growth as a writer are unified by central questions of beauty and ethics that will be of interest to anyone who cares about literature. --Susan Stewart