Murano

Doty Mark

"Murano", a recent work by the distinguished American poet Mark Doty, is a contemplative meditation on human mortality and the mystery of artistic creation. Addressed to his late friend, the poet Lynda Hull, the musings in "Murano" are set against the backdrop of Venice and the glassmaker's art, as practiced for centuries on the island of "Murano" in the Venetian lagoon. This moving poem is illustrated with details of sixteen pieces of dazzling "Murano" glass from the collection of the Getty Museum. These fine, delicate objects paired with Doty's stirring words create an exceptional visual and verbal experience.

About the Author

Mark Doty's most recent book of poems is Source. In 2001 he published the book-length essay "Still Life with Oysters and Lemon. A Guggenheim, Ingram-Merrill, and Whiting Fellow", he has also received the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Martha Allrand Prize for Non-fiction. He teaches at the University of Houston, and divides his time between Houston and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Reviews

"I don't think Mark Doty is capable of writing without grace: beauty in language is articulation for him, beauty in language is a form of meditation. This first thing the reader notices is the gorgeous tapestry of observation and sound, but then one recognizes the unflinching and unsparing quality of the art" – Robert Pinsky, United States Poet Laureate

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