it was today: New Poems - Tapa blanda

"Reading "it was today, today, you will feel much better about your tomorrows. It is the work of a master of Musketeer Bebop Poetics, the wild big-hearted wit of American poetry Andrei Codrescu. it was today ranges from short sharp hits to longer rambles, including the wonderful sequence 'Lu Li & Weng Li, ' a miniature novel in verse, and many trips back to past todays ('eliade: a poem'). Andrei's Poet's Hat with its Grand Panache leads the way through this madding vale of tears and laughter: as long as we don't lose sight of it, we'll make it through."--Anselm Hollo

In praise of his poetry, The New York Times calls Andrei Codrescu "one of our most prodigiously talented and magical writers." Part genius, part tongue-in-cheek provocateur, Codrescu is an audacious and passionate poet. The heart of this first new collection in nearly a decade is a beautiful conceit containing the "recently discovered" correspondence between a warrior and a courtesan in fourteenth-century China. These tender, timeless verses contrast nicely with tough, funny -poems about modern life and millennial malaise. Andrei Codrescu is a celebrated poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator on National Public -Radio. A World Heavyweight Champion Poet, his many awards include the Literature Prize of the Romanian Cultural Foundation and the Peabody Award for his film Road Scholar. Born in Romania, Andrei Codrescu lives in New Orleans.