Black Observatory: Poems

Black Observatory is a collection of poetry by Christopher Brean Murray that explores the strange darkness of human existence, featuring speakers set in mysterious settings and unraveling at the heart of everyday life. The book is a singular debut collection that is simultaneously comic and tragic, playful and deeply serious, and a portrait of reality in penumbra.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 30 March 2023
Publisher: Milkweed Editions

Telescopes are designed to capture the radiant light of the universe, yet Christopher Brean Murray directs his formidable lens towards the enigmatic depths of human existence in his captivating work, Black Observatory. This remarkable collection, chosen as the recipient of the Jake Adam York Prize, takes readers on a journey into the unknown, presenting speakers in enigmatic settings such as a deserted motel in a vast white-sand desert, a haunted house inhabited by the spirit of a deceased writer, an abandoned settlement perched atop towering mountains, and a city that hints at a tumultuous transformation into a verdant forest. Black Observatory challenges the very foundations of our understanding of the world, as it unveils a future rife with peculiar crimes-to-be and a field of grasses that serves as a conduit to a past and present "human conflagration / of desire and doubt," paving the way toward an unraveling.

At the core of these poems lies a sense of unraveling, as Murray skillfully plucks at the frayed edges of everyday life, crafting new threads and weaving an unsettling and occasionally unnerving tapestry in its place. He meticulously arranges and rearranges images, transforming the ordinary into something distorted: a cloud coiling and stretching, resembling an intestine that embraces the anxious protagonist, thoughts leaping from the sagebrush like quick jackrabbits, and a hot black coffee tasting like the runoff from a glacier. Through this meticulous process, our world emerges in startling and disquieting relief.

Black Observatory is a remarkable debut collection, offering a singular portrayal of reality in the penumbra. It encompasses a harmonious blend of comedy and tragedy, playfulness and profound seriousness, creating a captivating and multifaceted narrative. Murray's poetic language paints vivid images that linger in the reader's mind, eliciting a range of emotions and provoking thought. This collection invites us to explore the depths of human existence, question the nature of reality, and embrace the complexities of the world around us.

Weight: 136g
Dimension: 141 x 216 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781639550265