What is Poetry?

Described a as sublime distillation of an author’s lifework,” What Is Poetry? is a brilliant, soulful, and life-affirming collection of aphorisms in free verse by one of our most important contemporary poets, Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In this latest collection, Ferlinghetti (who began writing the aphorisms in 1950 and has read them in public on a number of occasions) shares brief observations that capture the nature of poetic expression. The collection, which first took its definitive shape when it was published as Poetry as an Insurgent Art in 2007, will now be released by Anansi in a spectacular hardcover limited edition, with stunning full-colour artwork by acclaimed visual artist and filmmaker, Frederic Amat. A masterwork of both poetry and visual art, What Is Poetry? is a unique collector’s edition that Ferlinghetti fans and readers of all stripes will surely want to have on their shelves.