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Koestenbaum, Wayne : Ode To Anna Moffo And Other Poems

Persea Books, New York City, NY, 1990

First Edition / First Printing. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 80 pages. The author's breakthrough debut collection of poems. One of Wayne Koestenbaum's finest achievements. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the Softcover Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Wayne Koestenbaum's "Ode To Anna Moffo And Other Poems". Lyrical odes to passions (artistic, erotic), devotions, and loves. "It is The Low that allows him to exult in the lavish heights of the Metropolitan Opera, idolizing a diva who rises above the physical world in her performances: 'I think that Anna / Moffo sings, / to this day, in a second, / parallel Met, a hologram of the original / projected in air, / where failing voices continue / to thrive amidst a system of strange geysers'. The unifying strength of the poems is Koestenbaum's burgeoning awareness of being gay, with all its emotional ramifications: 'When Carla put her hand on Ricky's knee / I saw my future's blueprint' " (Publishers Weekly). And of course: "Mired in low culture, / I was aching to reach the high" (Wayne Koestenbaum). An absolute "must-have" title for Wayne Koestenbaum collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in blue pen on the title page by Wayne Koestenbaum. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. It is also very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed, placed, dated, and inscribed in blue pen on the same page by the author: "For Charles Berger, with admiration, Wayne, Salt Lake City 16 March 1992". The recipient, who is named, was a distinguished professor and academic star in his own right. This title is a classic. As far as we know, this is the only such double-signed, placed, dated, and inscribed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are the Softcover Edition, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. One of the most brilliant culture critics of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER WAYNE KOESTENBAUM TITLES IN OUR CATALOG).

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