Elisabeth Murawski - Böcker

Murawski is a master of consummate poetic craft, as comfortable in handling the rigors of formal poetry as she is the subtle demands of distinguished free verse.  The poems of this remarkable collection sparkle with biblical and musical allusion, and timely references to a litany of literary and historical personages: from Chekhov to Cromwell; Hamlet to Mahler; and Sappho to Keats.

Still Life with Timex chronicles a mother's loss. These poems explore the unsightly aspects of grief and the survivor's guilt of outliving a child. In the hospital with her son, the speaker directs her bitterness toward institutions and faith that do not do enough.Within this collection there are discoveries of life in its decay and remembrance. Blame indicts everyone-most especially the speaker herself, as she struggles to cope with shame as enduring as loss.from 'On His Own'I stroke his shoulders, squared as they entered the world, my son boldas a cardinal's wing against the white flames of magnolias.