Etymologies

Name: Etymologies
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9781632431134
Price: 37.99 NZD
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By Walter Ancarrow

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4.23

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Summary

Etymologies by Walter Ancarrow is a poetry collection that playfully interrogates the meanings and origins of words. It treats language as a dynamic process shaped by cultures, conflicts, and migrations, rather than fixed histories. Through imaginative and creative word usage, these poems challenge conventional narratives about etymology and explore how language evolves and lives on through human speech. The work considers the power struggles and cultural exchanges embedded within language, offering fresh poetic insights into how words carry layered histories.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$37⁹⁹

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Etymologies

$37⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This collection will appeal to readers interested in poetry, linguistics, cultural studies, and those who enjoy thoughtful, inventive examinations of language and meaning.

Description

A poetry collection that playfully questions the meanings of words.

Walter Ancarrow’s collection Etymologies considers language as a process, rather than as a singular fixed history. These poems build imaginative worlds with a variety of creative word uses. They form a playful amalgamation of linguistic interpretations that flips and questions conventional narratives about word origins—including the idea that clear origins even exist.

Throughout the collection, Ancarrow questions the intent of writers who use etymology in attempts to prove a specific meaning for any word. In so doing, Etymologies pays particular attention to relationships between the cultures and conflicts, the migrations and hegemonies, that create our words, and it considers how their meanings are furthered by us as we keep them alive through speech.

Etymologies won Omnidawn’s 2021 Open Poetry Book Prize, selected by John Yau.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise Etymologies for its lyrical and concrete-poetic forms, noting how it deftly combines analogy and allegory. The Los Angeles Review of Books highlights the book's poetic techniques, while Harriet Books (Poetry Foundation) commends its imaginative linguistic exploration from indigenous origins to modern branding. Reviews celebrate Ancarrow's playful wit and multi-language threading, describing the work as formally daring and a field note on language itself.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781632431134

Publisher: Omnidawn Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 May 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Omnidawn Publishing

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 6.0mm

Height: 9.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 72

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Poetry Travel & Adventure Walter Ancarrow

About the Author

Walter Ancarrow lives in New York City and Alexandria, Egypt. His work has been published in Poetry, Tinderbox, Avery Shorts, Folder, Apogee, and American Arts Quarterly, among others.