Best Barbarian: Poems

Best Barbarian is a collection of poems that explores the literary and social landscape, addressing issues such as immigration, racism, and freedom. It incorporates diverse literary references and engages with writers from different eras, seeking to expand the tradition of poetry. The poems are daring, formally elegant, and offer moments of joy and intimacy while exploring catastrophe.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 128 pages
Publication date: 06 October 2023
Publisher: WW Norton & Co

Best Barbarian is a collection of poems that explores a wide range of literary and social themes, ranging from the epic poem Beowulf to the jazz musician Alice Coltrane, from addressing immigration issues at the US-Mexico border to contemplating the complex beauty of the moon on a summer night after a Black man has been killed by police. The poems in this collection are daring and formally elegant, posing challenging questions to the reader. They ask, "Who has not been an entryway shuddering in the wind / Of another's want, a rose nailed to some dark longing and bled?"

The author, Roger Reeves, delves into the works of various writers, including Walt Whitman, James Baldwin, Sappho, Dante, and Aimé Césaire, engaging in conversations and sometimes contradicting their ideas. By expanding the tradition of poetry to encompass ancient texts like Gilgamesh and The Aeneid as well as contemporary artists like Drake and Beyoncé, Reeves adds his unique voice to a long song that seeks to address itself solely to freedom.

Best Barbarian invites the reader on a journey that traverses the depths of catastrophe and reveals unexpected moments of joy and intimacy. This fearless, musical, and oracular collection establishes Roger Reeves as an essential voice in American poetry.

Weight: 144g
Dimension: 154 x 210 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781324064459