Theater of Memory—New and Selected Poems

Theater of Memory honors the life and work of celebrated poet Mark Perlberg (1929 2008), featuring poems from his four previous books The Burning Field, The Feel of the Sun, The Impossible Toystore, and Waiting for the Alchemist along with a sampling of previously unpublished pieces. Perlberg began work on the collection during the last year of his life, and his wife, Anna Nessy Perlberg, finished the compilation after his death. Theater of Memory includes an afterword by Anna, who shares the story behind this retrospective collection. Moving and unpretentious, the poems range from verses about the poet's childhood, including the early death of his father, to pieces in conversation with Chinese poet T'ao Ch'ien, to poignant poems about his grandson. A slowly deflating helium balloon becomes a meditation on aging and the urgency to teach his grandson "to remember in perilous / times to keep something of himself for himself."

Mark Perlberg (1929--2008) cofounded the Poetry Center of Chicago and served as its president for many years. He is the author of four previous collections of poems, including The Impossible Toystore and Waiting for the Alchemist.