The Naomi Poems: Corpse and Beans
The Naomi Poems: Corpse and Beans
by Bill Knott
with a new introduction by Richard Hell
Paperback / 60p. / Poetry
ISBN 978-1-939568-74-8
Bill Knott’s first book, The Naomi Poems: Corpse and Beans, was written under the pen name St. Geraud, the fictional persona of “a virgin and a suicide” who allegedly died two years prior to publication. The Naomi Poems was received to great acclaim and brought him to the attention of such poets as James Wright, who called Knott an "unmistakable genius." It also went on to inspire generations of fellow artists and writers—such as James Tate, Jim Jarmusch, Mary Ruefle, Thurston Moore, and Denis Johnson. While first editions have become treasured collector’s items today, The Naomi Poems is finally back in print for the first time in almost 60 years featuring a new introduction by Richard Hell.
Bill Knott was born in Carson City, Michigan, in 1940 and died in Bay City, Michigan, in 2014. In the years between, Knott traveled the country—eventually settling in Boston—and proceeded to publish eleven full-length books of poems and was awarded both the Iowa Poetry Prize and a Guggenheim fellowship.
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“In The Naomi Poems, his first book, he already knew how to put together a perfect patch of verse.”
“Knott’s poems relentlessly compress language and his lines distill to their throbbing quick.”
“The voice, the person that comes through, the life, is so intense, present, and interesting, that I’d rather read even his weaker poems than many poets’ best...”
“His work is tender, strange, deeply pained, and full of wit.”
“Bill Knott writes stunning poems in which he wires the head to the heart in such surprising ways that the results are truly electrifying. More than anyone of his generation, he shows us just how wild American poetry can be.”
“There’s no other poet like Bill Knott.”
