Description: In a book-length lyric narrative inspired by history and imagination, a much celebrated poet re-creates the life of a 19th-century virtuoso violinist.
Brief description: Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U. S. Poet Laureate, is the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. Her recent works include Playlist for the Apocalypse, Sonata Mulattica, and the National Book Award-shortlisted Collected Poems: 1974-2004. In 2021 she was awarded the Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2023 she received the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She lives in Charlottesville, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Virginia.
Review Quotes: A virtuosic treatment of a virtuoso's life . . . stuffed with historical and musical arcana. "