Home Among the Swinging Stars is a brilliant collection of poems by Jaime de Angulo (1887 – 1950). His reflections of nature in the American West often feel like lyrics of Native American chants, painting images of coyotes, wild stallions, canyons and cactus. In contrast, other poems speak of the difficulties faced by Native and Latino Americans.
Having fallen in love with the desert myself, I was anxious to read these poems to see if I could recapture the feeling of being under that expansive sky, miles from anywhere. Home Among the Swinging Stars not only delivered those wished-for images, but poetry of the Big Sur and California Redwoods as well. Jaime de Angulo’s poetry feeds the imagination whether you’ve been Out West or not, also giving you a sense of the people who have lived there.
Jaime de Angulo, of Spanish descent, was born in Paris and moved to America when he was 14 years old. He lived in California, Colorado, South America, and several other locations in the U.S. and abroad, leading a rather complicated and continually evolving life, which greatly influenced his work. (If anyone is looking for a subject for writing a biography, this is one I’d love to read!) De Angulo’s writings have inspired many writers, including Jack Kerouac.
If you’d like to have your own copy of Home Among the Swinging Stars, you can enter to win one here. Subscribing to this blog automatically enters you into this and all future book giveaways. Or you may leave a comment on this post telling me what intrigues you about the book. Link to this post on your blog, and you’ll get another entry as well. I’ll choose a winner at random on March 29, 2008, at 12noon EST.
Special Note: I have TWO giveaways running right now! Normally I do one at a time, but since I misread the calendar when posting, you’ve still got time to enter to win The Edge of Europe by Pentti Saarikoski.
Home Among the Swinging Stars is published by La Alameda Press.
I love poetry and the West — what a wonderful combination.
I love the selection and the writer’s blogs and sites. What a wonderful site.
Very nice
I am enthralled with the West and the poetry adds another dimension to this wonderful book.
This one will be up tomorrow as well at my book review/contest blog – A Book Blogger’s Diary, Diane.
Thanks!!
I love how poetry can capture in a short phrase that which is so difficult to capture in lengthy prose. Although I haven’t read De Angulo’s poetry before, I love poetry and enjoy when I am so far from the city lights that I can look up and see the Milky Way stretching like a belt above me. Even if I do not win this, I would like to thank you for the suggestion.
poetry usually soothes me love to read the book
love “old west” poetry
I love anything that has to do with the Old West.
Pingback: Home Among the Swinging Stars by Jaime de Angulo | Contests 4 Moms
I enjoy and appreciate poetry of all types. I would love to experience this.
I’d like to win this book!
I read and collect classic poetry and don’t have anything of Jaime de Angulo’s yet. I’d love to read this.
We would love to read it!!
I added you to prizeatron too
http://www.prizeatron.com
I’m intrigued by poetry of all kinds, so count me in!
Hi, I find the cover of his book very intriguing. I also love read Jack Kerouac! This books sounds like one you don’t get to read everyday. I would enjoy reading his poetry with a southwestern flair. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks very much…..
Cindi
I write poetry. On my other blog. Therefore, I love to read poetry. This books seems to be one good one.
Give me poetry any day.
Although I am a subscrober of your news letter, I still
say here..count me in!
Please add me!
I LOVE Poetry and this looks like a wonderful read…thanks
I recently moved to Idaho. I have being trying to read about the West.
I love poetry. Here is one I wrote in 1997 (true story)
:”My Little Angel Of Love”
I gave life to a precious angel just a few short days ago
I love her more than life itself but I loved her enough to let her go
For two short days I held her close in a warm loving embrace
Those beautiful moment in which we bonded my mind will never erase
God gave me a Christian couple who can take care of her every need
My eyes will always be streaked with tears; my heart will forever bleed
If I could have just one wish, our paths will cross again
But I’ll hold her close in my heart and love her in silence until then
I know I did the right thing
I’m at peace with the Lord above
And I know he’ll always be watching over
:”My Little Angel Of Love”
i love poetry.
i usd to compose back when i was younger.
now, i collect books of poetry for it inspires me to love this lofe…:) poetry has a way of touching a person’s soul, i believe so.
That’s beautiful, Tonya! Thank you for sharing. As a mother, that brought tears to my eyes…
this book is just my style.
I love poetry!
Looks like a wonderful book!
I like that it reflects upon the terrain of the west, almost like being there myself!
I would love to check this out.
I love the west.
This sounds like a nice read for evenings on the beach this summer. Romantic….
I heart poetry.
sounds really great
I absolutely love this style of poetry.
the cover intrigues me
Looks like a great read and I love poetry!
would love to try out
My teenager writes alot of poems and I would love to win this to help inspire her to write even more!
sounds like a great prize to have in one’s library. Would use it to enrich the children I teach.
Poetry is the song in my heart
the cultural aspect of the book sounds really interesting to me, esp. coupled with nature.
this is a book that would really interest me.
What intrigues me about this book is the vast sense of nature of the West as portrayed in these poems. The West has a sense of romance ever since Horace Greely said “Go West Young Man’ to the films of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and all the Western tv shows of the 50′s and 60′s up to the present day.
poetry is the energizer of life. Best of luck to all who enter.
would love to read this
The poems about nature in the American West intrigue me.
I’d love to give this up to my bro in law, he has a native american book and art fetish!
Being part Native American and 100% Texan, I’m interested in reading this poetry. Plus, the art on front is cool.
My favorite type of book is travel essays and stories regarding life. I htink that this one fits the bill.
If we had more poets what a peaceful place it would be. If people expressed there feelings instead of handling them angrily. Helping others wouldn’t seem such a chore and perhaps just perhaps we would be at war.
Looks great!