Inspired by the philosophy of Albert Camus, Major Jackson's fifth volume subtly configures the poet as edquo;absurd hero.idquo; With intense musicality and buoyant lyricism, The Absurd Man follows the titular speaker as he confronts the struggle for meaning in a technological world and the difficulty of social and political unity, finding refuge in intellectual and sensuous passions. At once melancholic and jubilant, Jackson considers the journey of humanity, with all its foibles, as a sacred pattern of discovery reconciled by art and the imagination.
From ldquo;The Absurd Man at Fourteenndquo;
He punched her again, a woman called the house,
some yelling then us out the door leaving
the kitchen phone cord swinging.
