Goldbarth book among National Book Critics Circle finalists

"Saving Lives," the latest book of poetry written by Albert Goldbarth, is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry. Goldbarth teaches in WSU’s creative writing program.

Goldbarth, the Adele Davis Distinguished Professor of Humanities, is a critically acclaimed writer who "just may be the American poet of his generation for the ages," according to a past review by Judith Kitchen.

"Often humorous, but always serious, Goldbarth combines erudite research, pop-culture fanaticism, and personal anecdote in ways that make his writings among the most stylistically recognizable in the literary world," she wrote. In "Saving Lives," he consolidates and extends his passions and their presentations.

Some poems in "Saving Lives" center on familiar cultural icons, such as Rembrandt, Houdini, Barnum and the Hardy Boys, and others on little-known fringe players and yet others on family histories. They always examine an essential subject: The ways in which we try to "save lives" – whether through a transplanted lung, the archaeological remnant, or the conserved book.

In a previous interview with Inside WSU, Goldbarth said the inspiration for his writing can range from something he’s read in a book to an overheard snippet of conversation while standing in line at Dillons.

"Or I can just be inspired by the way two words collide together in terms of their sound and rhythm, without even an idea or subject attached to it first," he said.

Goldbarth’s "Heaven and Earth" won the 1991 National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry.

The National Book Critics Circle, founded in 1974, consists of nearly 700 active book reviewers. The organization gives awards for the best book in the categories of fiction, general nonfiction, biography/autobiography, poetry and criticism.

This year’s winners will be announced in a March 11 ceremony at New York University.