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Book Summary and Reviews of Toxic Flora by Kimiko Hahn

Toxic Flora by Kimiko Hahn

Toxic Flora

Poems

by Kimiko Hahn

  • Published:
  • May 2010, 124 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

For Kimiko Hahn, the language and imagery of science open up magical possibilities for the poet. Inspired by articles from the weekly “Science Times” section of the New York Times, Hahn explores identity, extinction, and survival. With these elegant, ardent poems, Hahn reaffirms her position as an artist of both “daring lyricism” (Eavan Boland) and “rigorous intelligence” (Mark Doty) .

from “On Deceit as Survival”:

Yet another species resembles
a female bumble bee,
ending in frustrated trysts—
or appears to be two fractious males
which also attracts—no surprise—
a third curious enough to join the fray.
What to make of highly evolved Beauty
bent on deception as survival—
.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. These sharp, gut-punching lyrics quote from and/or borrow the diction of science writing in order to investigate more personal issues...But the real thrill comes not from Hahn's personal revelations but from the ways they dovetail so surprisingly with contemporary scientific observations.." - Publishers Weekly

This information about Toxic Flora was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Kimiko Hahn

Kimiko Hahn is the author of several books of poetry, including The Narrow Road to the Interior, The Artist's Daughter, Mosquito and Ant, and Toxic Flora. Her many honors include the American Book Award. She lives in New York City.

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Read-Alikes

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