As in her poetry, Levertov’s descriptions and characterizations can be flawless; her ability to relate an incident is at once timeless and immediate, boundless and searingly personal. ‘These tesserae have no pretensions,’ Levertov notes. She is right–these lovely, lyrical remembrances are too true and spare ever to invite such criticism.

Publishers Weekly

Tesserae

Poetry by Denise Levertov

Tesserae, the small individual pieces of glass or stone that make up a mosaic, is an apt title for this series of memoirs by Denise Levertov. Rather than being a completed autobiography, these collected memoirs are, for the author, fragments of an unfinished mosaic. Each of the twenty-seven pieces of Tesserae explores a memory vital to Levertov’s life; each is complete in itself and set here chronologically. And, as in any good mosaic, each piece reflects at different angles creating a play of light which gives this self-portrait its living complexity. Tesserae offers for the first time the unique memoirs of “a poet who may just be the finest writing in English today.” (Kirkus Reviews).

Paperback(published Apr, 01 1996)

ISBN
9780811213370
Price US
9.95
Trim Size
5x8
Page Count
160

Clothbound(published Apr, 01 1996)

ISBN
9780811212922
Price US
18.95
Trim Size
5x8
Page Count
160
Portrait of Denise Levertov

Denise Levertov

Poet and political activist

As in her poetry, Levertov’s descriptions and characterizations can be flawless; her ability to relate an incident is at once timeless and immediate, boundless and searingly personal. ‘These tesserae have no pretensions,’ Levertov notes. She is right–these lovely, lyrical remembrances are too true and spare ever to invite such criticism.

Publishers Weekly