Voyage is a tender and shocking study of the fragmentary mysteries of stereotype, as it juxtaposes our names for things with what we actually see and know. Well leave off the week with a thorough consideration of robin coste lewiss national book awardwinning title, voyage of the sable venus. What follows is a narrative poem comprised solely and entirely of the titles, catalogue entries, or exhibit descriptions of western art objects in which a black female figure is present, dating from 38,000 bce to the present. Voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis overdrive. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems by robin coste. She shows how cultures traverse terrains and comingle. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems book, 2017. The central panel is the title poem, voyage of the sable venus, a riveting narrative made up entirely of titles of artworks from ancient times to the presenttitles that feature or in some way comment on the black female figure in western art. The voyage of the sable venus here, the goddess is not white as marble. Now in paperback, this national book awardwinning debut poetry collection is a meditation on the black female figure.
Voyage of the sable venus national book foundation. The voyage of the sable venus has made its own voyagethat words bitter irony, lost on its original audience, is now its meaningand ended up in this arresting book, whose title. The first time that i picked up voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis was shortly after its release, in a new york city bookstore. I flipped through the books pages, read a couple poems, and then moved on walking out of the store emptyhanded. Robin coste lewiss voyage of the sable venus poetry foundation. Robin coste lewis is the author of voyage of the sable venus knopf, 2015, a national book award winner. Robin coste lewis national book award for voyage of the. Robin coste lewiss voyage of the sable venus is a meditation on the cultural depiction of the black female figure. And never to forget beauty, however strange or difficult. Debut poetry collection knopf, 2015 books, literature, poetry, africanamerican, women, art history.
Robin coste lewiss debut poetry collection, voyage of the sable venus and other poems knopf, derives its title from a notorious eighteenthcentury engraving by thomas stothard, the voyage of. Robin coste lewiss electrifying collection is a triptych that begins and ends with lyric poems considering the roles desire and race play in the construction of the self. She is known for her book, voyage of the sable venus and other poems, winner of the national book award for poetry. Robin coste lewiss electrifying collection is a triptych that. Information about the book, voyage of the sable venus. Robin coste lewiss voyage of the sable venus poetry. Art urges voyages, and while both of the notions are reasons why many of us go to poetry as readers and writers, lewis collection sets new standards in magnitude and scale. Yet it is clear that, while the long poem voyage of the sable venus is instrumental in gaining understanding about what has been happening to lewis a woman from compton, this history, alone, is only a partial picture.
Thats a key line in the first and the last of the poems in lewiss varied first collection, whose poems short and long braid her own family history into a wider trajectory from ancient egypt to presentday sri lanka, new york city. But a voyage requires both an origin and a destination, and so the eighteenth century engraving and the twentyfirstcentury book operate as two. The title poem, 79 pages long, is named for an image by british painter thomas stothard. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems goodreads. Voyage of the sable venus download ebook pdf, epub. Immediately download the voyage of the sable venus summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching voyage of the sable venus. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems is the debut collection of poetry by robin coste lewis, published in 2015 by alfred a. Now in paperback, this national book award winning debut poetry collection is a meditation on the black female figure.
The result is a book that is formally polished, emotionally raw, and wholly exquisite. This middle section clocks in at nearly eight pages which, by publishing standards, is a full book. Robin coste lewiss electrifying collection is a triptych that begins and ends with lyric poems meditating on the roles desire and race play in the construction of the self. Tender and masterful opening and closing poems bookend the archival, lyric masterwork, voyage of the sable venus, at the. Voyage of the sable venus by robin coste lewis lambda. She is writerinresidence at the university of southern california, as well as a cave canem fellow and a fellow.
In robin coste lewiss voyage of the sable venus, poems. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems robin coste lewis. These poignant poems, through a poetic excavation, unearth figures that make us question racial constructs. Thats a key line in the first and the last of the poems. One of the poems in robin coste lewiss first book, voyage of the sable venus, has a title that resembles a gift label.
In the notes to the title poem of voyage of the sable venus and other poems, robin coste lewis speaks through an epigraph from gwendolyn brooks. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems the new yorker. Tender and masterful opening and closing poems bookend the archival, lyric masterwork, voyage of the. In the center of the collection is the title poem, voyage of the sable venus, an amazing narrative made up entirely of titles of artworks from ancient times to the presenttitles that feature or in some way comment on the black female figure in western art. She isa provosts fellow in poetry and visual studies at the university of southern california. She is a provosts fellow in poetry and visual studies at the university of southern california. Yusef komunyakaa voyage of the sable venus and other poems reframes the black figure, most specifically the black female, by pointing out the borders of black beauty, black happiness, and black resilience in our canonical visual culture. Voyage of the sable venus winner of the national book award a stunning poetry debut. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems reframes the black figure, most specifically the black female, by pointing out the borders of black beauty, black happiness, and black resilience in our canonical visual culture. This kind of thing is rare in voyage of the sable venus, however. Brought up in compton, lewis overcame brain damage to become a poet, and this year won the national book award for the voyage of the sable venus, which eloquently expresses her preoccupations with. But a voyage requires both an origin and a destination, and so the eighteenthcentury engraving and the twentyfirstcentury book operate as two. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems academy of. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems wikipedia.
Among all archetypes, the journey is perhaps the most universal. The collection won the national book award for poetry, the first debut collection to win the award since 1974. Voyage of the sable venus and other poems by robin coste lewis. The award would be out of the ordinary if only because this is.
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