Alicia Suskin Ostriker Knihy

Alicia Suskin Ostriker's passionate voice has long been acknowledged as a vital force in American poetry.

In 1970, as the war in Vietnam was heating up, Ostriker was awaiting the birth of her son. On April 30, President Nixon announced the bombing of Cambodia. On May 14, four students were shot and killed by National Guardsmen at Kent State University. The poems in this collection confront Ostriker's personal tumult as she considered the world she had brought her son into.

The collection showcases the unique voice of a renowned American poet, blending heartfelt prayers and reflections on the transience of life. It captures deep emotions and spiritual yearning, inviting readers to contemplate existence while grappling with the inevitable passage of time.

This book by a major American poet is for poetry readers at all levels, academic and non-academic. It is a sequence of poems that will surprise and delight readers—in the voices of an old woman full of memories, a glamorous tulip, and an earthy dog who always has the last word.

At times lyric, at times satiric, Ostriker steadfastly pursues in No Heaven her poetics of ardor, a passion for the here and now that has chastened and consoled her many devoted readers.

Alicia Ostriker's poetry explores the constraints of existence with a tough-minded yet lyrical approach, reflecting on the challenges of contemporary life. Her passionate voice offers a profound commentary on the human condition, revealing deeper insights into our current era. Esteemed poet Maxine Kumin praises this collection as showcasing an even more sublime talent than Ostriker's previous work, highlighting the evolution of her poetic expression.