The Big Smoke (Penguin Poets) - Softcover
Synopsis
Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the National Book Award in Poetry--a collection that examines the myth and history of the prizefighter Jack Johnson
The legendary Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was a true American creation. The child of emancipated slaves, he overcame the violent segregationism of Jim Crow, challenging white boxers--and white America--to become the first African-American heavyweight world champion. The Big Smoke, Adrian Matejka's third work of poetry, follows the fighter's journey from poverty to the most coveted title in sports through the multi-layered voices of Johnson and the white women he brazenly loved. Matejka's book is part historic reclamation and part interrogation of Johnson's complicated legacy, one that often misremembers the magnetic man behind the myth.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Adrian Matejka is a graduate of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale MFA program. The author of The Devil's Garden and Mixology, which was a winner of the National Poetry Series. his work has appeared in the American Poetry Review, The Best American Poetry, Ploughshares, and Poetry. He teaches creative writing at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Review
"Jack Johnson, the world's first African-American heavyweight champion of the world, comes so boldly to life in these poems one almost wants to duck." --The Boston Globe
"Matejka's Jack Johnson is a deeply flawed hero of American history -- balanced between heroic success and human failure, between worldwide acclaim and personal evil, between black and white, right and wrong. The tension is so powerful that there's no putting this book down."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"[The Big Smoke] is a rich, sometimes disturbing portrait of a fascinating, flawed and complex man." --The Washington Post
"With the lean, long jab and agile step of a boxer, Adrian Matejka delivers this knockout dramatization of the larger-than-life life of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. In dexterous interpolating voices, and in forms ranging from enveloping sonnets to prose letters and interviews, Johnson emerges as a scrappy, hard-edged hero--troubled by his own demons but determined to win the 'fight of the century,' a fight that underscored the bitter realities of racism in America. These poems don't pull no punches." --2013 National Book Award Citation
"[A]n imaginative work by a commanding poet who engages the history and mythology of larger-than-life boxer Jack Johnson." --2014 Pulitzer Prize Citation
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 0143123726
- ISBN 13 9780143123729
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number1
- Number of pages128
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 8.64
Shipping:
US$ 3.25
From Canada to U.S.A.
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The Big Smoke (Penguin Poets)
Seller: Off The Shelf, Antonia, MO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials. Seller Inventory # 4WILKM00LC00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 2013
ISBN 10: 0143123726
ISBN 13: 9780143123729
Used
Softcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 5958222-6
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 2013
ISBN 10: 0143123726
ISBN 13: 9780143123729
Used
Softcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 4782713-6
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 2013
ISBN 10: 0143123726
ISBN 13: 9780143123729
Used
Softcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 4855551-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
The Big Smoke
Seller: eCampus, Lexington, KY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # U:9780143123729:ONHAND
Quantity: 5 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke (Penguin Poets)
Seller: HPB-Diamond, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_403785659
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke (Penguin Poets)
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Good condition. This is the average used book, that has all pages or leaves present, but may include writing. Book may be ex-library with stamps and stickers. 0.35. Seller Inventory # 353-0143123726-gdd
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Big Smoke
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers. Seller Inventory # 19102515-5
Quantity: 5 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke
Published by
Penguin Poets, New York, 2013
ISBN 10: 0143123726
ISBN 13: 9780143123729
Used
softcover
Seller: Abacus Bookshop, Pittsford, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
softcover. Condition: Fine copy. Later prt. edition. 8vo, 109 pp. Seller Inventory # 112973
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Big Smoke (Poets, Penguin)
Published by
Penguin Books, 2013
ISBN 10: 0143123726
ISBN 13: 9780143123729
Used
paperback
First Edition
Seller: Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. May have light to moderate shelf wear and/or a remainder mark. Complete. Clean pages. Seller Inventory # 1392639
Quantity: 1 available