Buckdancer's Choice
Encyclopedia
Buckdancer's Choice is a 1965 collection of poems by James Dickey
. The book received the Melville Cane Award and the National Book Award
for Poetry in 1966.
The opening poem, "The Firebombing," relates a World War II
pilot's memory of a night air raid on Beppu, Japan. New York Times reviewer Joseph Bennett called it "one of the most important long poems written postwar."
In the poem "Buckdancer's Choice," the narrator listens as his mother, dying of emphysema
in an adjacent room, whistles an old fiddle tune. The poem first appeared in The New Yorker
for June 19, 1965, alongside "Hapworth 16, 1924
", the last published story by J. D. Salinger
.
James Dickey
James Lafayette Dickey was an American poet and novelist. He was appointed the eighteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1966.-Early years:...
. The book received the Melville Cane Award and the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for Poetry in 1966.
The opening poem, "The Firebombing," relates a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
pilot's memory of a night air raid on Beppu, Japan. New York Times reviewer Joseph Bennett called it "one of the most important long poems written postwar."
In the poem "Buckdancer's Choice," the narrator listens as his mother, dying of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
in an adjacent room, whistles an old fiddle tune. The poem first appeared in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
for June 19, 1965, alongside "Hapworth 16, 1924
Hapworth 16, 1924
"Hapworth 16, 1924" is the "youngest" of J. D. Salinger's Glass family stories, in the sense that the narrated events happen chronologically before those in the rest of the great "Glass series". It appeared in the June 19, 1965 edition of The New Yorker, and has never been reprinted...
", the last published story by J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
.
External links
- Bennett, Joseph. "A Man with a Voice." New York Times, February 6, 1966.