Anne Carson Has a New Book Out!
The New York Times has a review, but what struck me was the design:
From Ben Ratliff’s review:
Anne Carson’s new book comes in a box the color of a rainy day, with a sliver of a family snapshot on the front. Inside is a Xerox-quality reproduction of a notebook, made after the death of her brother, including text and photographs and letters, pasted-in inkjet printouts, handwriting, paintings and collage. “Nox” has no page numbers, and it’s accordion-folded.
I didn’t really need another reason to love Anne Carson, but she gave me one anyway. I love seeing books that reflect the processes, written and artistic, that writers use. I like the idea of books as works of art, but this, this is book as craft. Which is to say, it is the kind of art we can all make – perhaps not with as much literary merit as Anne Carson, but with as much care.
I need this book. Today.
In the meantime, I’m comforting myself by revisiting this awesome set of directions for making an accordion book from Belle Boggs’ Blog. Anne Carson made an accordion book to memorialize her brother; Belle made one to memorialize her dog.
Belle also has a new book out. It’s called Mattaponi Queen, and, so far, it’s great. I say “so far” because I keep rereading the first story, “Deer Season”; I’ve read it three times, mostly because it brings back memories of the first community I taught in, but also because it’s that good, and that subtle.
