Yusef Komunyakaa began publishing his poetry during the turbulent 1960s, a period that included what has been called the Second New Negro Movement, suggesting the fervor that characterized the Harlem ...
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Below, Parisi offers a mixed assessment of Copacetic.
Born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, but bred all over the place, Komunyakaa once edited a magazine called Gumbo. His own verse is rather a spicy concocti...
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Maio is an American educator and critic. In the following excerpt from a comparative review of Dien cai dau and Lowell Jaeger's War on War (1988), he discusses Komunyakaa's examination o...
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In the following excerpt from a comparative study of Vietnam War poets, Gotera discusses Komunyakaa's use of surrealism, language, and imagery in Dien cai dau.
Dien Cai Dau is Komunyakaa'...
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In the following review, Myles states that while Magic City "starts off a little sticky," its "information is unforgettable."
Yusef Komunyakaa, an African American poet who...
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In the following essay, Aubert discusses Komunyakaa's "quest for a unified vision, his bid for literary canonization, and his push for the completion of his humanity."
In an inter...
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Waniek is an American educator, poet, and critic. In the following excerpt, she examines Magic City, stating Komunyakaa "makes a great contribution to one of the newest genres in the canon: the...
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In the review below, Selman examines stylistic features of Komunyakaa's poetry, noting in particular his focus on music in Neon Vernacular.
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In the essay below, Derricotte surveys Komunyakaa's works, focusing on his major themes.
The publication of Yusef Komunyakaa's Magic City and his new and selected poems, Neon Vernacular,...
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In the following essay, Collins provides an overview of Komunyakaa's career.
"I went to Vietnam as a basic naive young man of eighteen. Before I reached my nineteenth birthday, I was an...
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In the following review, Miller highly recommends Copacetic, stating that the work reflects a "wry, hard-won wisdom."
Copacetic, Yusef Komunyakaa's first collection of poetry, sig...
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In the following interview, which took place on February 21, 1986, in Bloomington, Indiana, Komunyakaa discusses such subjects as his upbringing, his poetic influences, and the nature of poetry.
[Gote...
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Below, Muratori notes that I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head "showcases a talented surrealist."
Komunyakaa's poems [in I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head] create and populate a...
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In the following positive review of I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head, Miller calls Komunyakaa "one of the important poets of his generation."
[I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head exte...
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Flamm is an American journalist. In the following excerpt, he characterizes I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head as "fierce yet mysterious," though he also notes some "poetic postu...
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Koestenbaum is an American educator and critic. In the following excerpt, he examines Komunyakaa's use of literary conventions in Dien cai dau.
Yusef Komunyakaa's third volume, Dien Cai ...
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Aubert is an American educator, critic, and writer who specializes in African-American studies. In the following review, he discusses the major themes in Dien cai dau, including war, nature, and home....
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In the following positive review, Cramer examines Komunyakaa's depiction of the Vietnam War in Dien cai dau.
Dien Cai Dau (the title, meaning "crazy," is Vietnamese slang for �...
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In the following essay, Gotera asserts that, unlike much of the poetry that emerged from the Vietnam War, Komunyakaa's poems collected in Dien Cai Dau offer some hope of solace and self-renewal...
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In the following essay, Salas praises Komunyakaa for the range, depth, and imaginativeness of his poetry.
Yusef Komunyakaa's life and career fit almost perfectly into the American ideal of the ...
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In the following interview, Komunyakaa discusses his influences, including jazz, Southern literature, and his experiences serving in the Vietnam conflict.
In 1994 Yusef Komunyakaa's Neon Vernac...
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In the following review, Kirsch discusses the jazz inspiration in Komunyakaa's poetry. Kirsch also praises Talking to the Gods as Komunyakaa's “best and more beautiful book so far...
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In the following interview, conducted in April 1989, Kelly simultaneously interviews Komunyakaa and William Matthews regarding the influence of jazz music on their poetry.
[Kelly]: Jazz has been prese...
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In the following essay, Aubert argues that Komunyakaa successfully combines his African-American and Euro-American cultural heritage to express a unified vision in his poetry. Aubert observes that Kom...
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In the following review of Magic City, by Komunyakaa, and Sleeping Preacher, by Julia Kasdorf, Friebert asserts that both volumes address the “facts” of human existence. Friebert observe...
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In the following review of Komunyakaa's Neon Vernacular and Magic City, Collins compares Komunyakaa's Vietnam War Poetry with his “peacetime” poetry. Collins observes that ...
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In the following essay, originally broadcast in fall of 1994, Fabre provides a brief overview of central themes and recurring motifs in Komunyakaa's poetry. Fabre praises Komunyakaa for his dep...
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In the following review of Komunyakaa's Neon Vernacular, Finkelstein praises the poet's work.
Yusef Komunyakaa's Neon Vernacular presents about twenty years worth of poetry: poetr...
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In the following essay, Stein argues that Komunyakaa's Vietnam War poetry creates a dialogue between the official public history of the war, as created by the mass media, and the personal exper...
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In the following interview, which took place in April 1998, Komunyakaa discusses his literary influences and the significance of music to his poetry.
Yusef Komunyakaa's knowledge and love of mu...
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[Below, Moore favorably reviews Neon Vernacular.]
[Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems] is comprised of poems from seven of Komunyakaa's previous collections. A master at interweaving memor...
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[In the following excerpt, Gwynn discusses Komunyakaa's focus on jazz, Vietnam, family, and Louisiana in Neon Vernacular.]
Yusef Komunyakaa is a poet whose work I have known mostly through anth...
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[In the following excerpt, Ness remarks on the themes and subjects presented in Neon Vernacular.]
For Yusef Komunyakaa, the experience that seared him into poetry was serving in Vietnam. In Neon Verna...
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[In the article below, based on a conversation with Komunyakaa, Weber relates Komunyakaa's background and origins, various aspects of his writings, and his views on the writing process.]
Yusef ...
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Yusef Komunyakaa
