The Memphis Sun

Rating:
Summary: Little book packs big punch
Review: Poetry chapbooks don't usually fly off the shelves in massive numbers, but this debut by Jim Murphy deserves to. Murphy covers a wide range of subjects -- from Faulkner's characters to Elmore James -- with dense, lyrical language and an exacting yet awed gaze that seems to me quintessentially American. His "Florida Resort Scene, 1964" is unquestionably one of the most brilliant poetic observations on the sordid power of celebrity in poetry, and many other pieces in this 30-page work pack a similar punch. "The Memphis Sun" marks the debut of a powerful new voice in American poetry. Catch him now before everybody else does.