Helix: New and Selected Poems [363]
John Steffler
[Poetry]
Winner: Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards 2003
For the last twenty years, John Steffler has written poems of profound philosophical curiosity grounded in the landscapes of Newfoundland, Southern Ontario, Greece, and New Zealand. In Helix, Steffler's fifth book of poetry, we see the full result of those travels: a lyricism distinguished by its scrupulous phrasing, thrilling evocativeness, and deep-timbred music. Helix presents arresting new work together with a selection from Steffler's three previous much-praised volumes: The Grey Islands, The Wreckage of Play, and That Night We Were Ravenous. This collection is maybe the most persuasive argument yet for considering Steffler, in Don McKay's words, "Canada's most sensuously passionate writer."
Praise for previous books:
"The Grey Islands is a piece of genius, a psycho-logical drama in poetry and prose...Steffler's balance and control are extraordinary.
-Canadian Literature
"Steffler is a superb observer of family life. He can also philosophize without sounding silly or pretentious. He is a poet of landscapes and in-scapes--The Wreckage of Play is a significant work by a significant poet."
-The Mail Star
"The range of poetic tone in this book [That Night We Were Ravenous], and the precision of its language, articulates why John Steffler is one of our most evocative poets."
-Ross Leckie, New Brunswick Telegraph Journal
John Steffler was born in Ontario but, since 1975, has lived in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, where he teaches at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. His novel, The Afterlife of George Cartwright (M&S), won the Smithbooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Thomas Raddall Award, and was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award and the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book. That Night We Were Ravenous (M&S 1998) won the Atlantic Poetry Prize.
Publication Date: October, 2002
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