Luxury: Poems

by Philip Schultz

Overview

“Compelling. . . . [Schultz’s] works are replete with insights and nuggets of wisdom.”— Washington Post

With humor, irony, and celebration, Luxury explores the comfort and sustenance of life, the bittersweet clarity of aging, and the anxiety of existence.

“A notable addition to a body of work that is durable, compelling, and instructive.” — David Wojahn

“A snapshot of our malaise ‘one luminous, lost imagination at a time.’ ” — Millions

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393357547
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/26/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Philip Schultz is the author of eight poetry collections, including Luxury and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Failure. The founder of The Writers Studio, he has been teaching creative writing since 1971. He lives in East Hampton, New York.

Editorial Reviews

12/18/2017
Schultz, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Failure, adopts a philosophical approach to aging, suicide, and the passing of time in his eighth collection. He remarks on the present as something “I seem to have less to do with lately,/ standing as I do off somewhere nearby,/ confused as to what just occurred, and why.” Schultz also notes that “the future remains translucent/ and unambiguous/ in its desire to elude me.” The work is largely concerned with the past, refracting through a singular lens the many forms suicide can take: “I was going to college in six months/ when Dad had a stroke/ and his doctor said: ‘If he doesn’t stop working/ he’ll be dead soon.’ ” Luxury assumes the guise of a 1955 Pontiac station wagon, which may have been one reason Dad “got up earlier each morning,/ worked harder,/ longer each day.” Luxury is also the fact of aging into one’s 70s, “of living perpetually/ on the edge/ of grace/ and death.” References to such thinkers as Aristotle, Augustine, and Nietszche prepare readers for a close engagement with Camus. In the four-part title poem, the speaker and several others seek “the same unsolvable answer/ Camus sought/to the absurd paradox/of suicide.” Throughout this emotional search, Schultz gives complex questions the thorough, honest, and lyrical treatment they deserve. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"His new book Luxury answers the plea from Philip Schultz’s mother that he remember 'everything he lives for.' It’s an appraisal that keeps him in mind of how his father had at last tired of 'suffering the illusion of success.' Wrought in humility, Schultz’s book creates an 'industry of observation,' the affordances of which make for something very large."

James McMichael

"In Philip Schultz’s new collection, Luxury, a mature sense of selfhood rooted in compassion rises through a finely tuned daring…Each poem is alive with tension, as it accrues, and the reader feels the lived knowing as it takes shape. A bold pleasure lurks in this book…Empathy resides at the nexus of Luxury. This poetry is not written to impress but to be shared—perfect for human consumption. Again and again, Philip Schultz surprises us."

Yusef Komunyakaa

"Luxury, Philip Schultz’s luminous new book, is the most powerful yet from a poet whose work of four decades has stood among the finest in our time. Schultz hears music even in despair, and finds immense wonder in the everyday…In the title poem, Schultz descends into darkness in order to imagine the luxury of existence. This book is essential because it can save our lives."

Grace Schulman

11/01/2017
In his eighth collection of poetry (not counting a novel in verse), Pulitzer Prize winner Schultz (Failure) turns his probing eye to examine aging, family, and the power of memory. "Speaking of suffering,/ the houses—our sober, recalcitrant houses—are swollen/ with dreams that have grown opaque with age." The poet masters combining philosophy with humor, in "Aardvarks," describing a jitney ride, Schultz writes, "He's the reason I'm sitting back here/ next to the toilet, thinking about Pythagoras." Occasionally, the line breaks are forced or erratic. One- or two-word lines are often interspersed with longer phrases and occasionally a preposition is left standing alone. In several poems, the language becomes too abstract, for example, in "A Moment," "A schism/ in which conviction and mediocrity/ conspire/ to eliminate each other. A channel through which guilt flows/ unashamed." With subjects ranging from Westerns to porcelain cakes to a visit to the Social Security office, Schultz's poems overall impart wisdom and deep humanity. Often, his wry humor provides an insouciant take on modern life. VERDICT Not a perfect collection, but one that will provide revelations with each rereading.—Doris Lynch, Monroe Cty. P.L., Bloomington, IN

Library Journal