Nine Skies

Selected by Sandra McPherson for the 1996 National Poetry SeriesThe late poet James V. Dickey was judge of the Yale Prize poetry competition when he wrote to A. V. Christie, one of the finalists, ''I have become very fond of your poems, especially the elegiac ones. . . . Your work is heartfelt; one believes every word of it. . . . You have given me much in-depth pleasure; have moved me strongly.''The work in Nine Skies is as Dickey described it--heartfelt, moving. Here is what others say about it:''Beautifully crafted and sustained, with six or seven poems as fine as anything being written today. This remarkable book is a rite of passage for the poet and speaks of even better things to come.'' -- Elizabeth Spires''Only the best poetry is written this well, with this much craft and conviction. Of course the poems are meditative and elegiac, brilliant and finely detailed, but they are also thought through and wholly felt, so that even in their small moments they celebrate.'' -- Stanley Plumly''A. V. Christie writes with a Romantic's eye and a Realist's heart, so there is no sentimentality, that sickness afflicting our age. The voice on these pages is hard-bitten, luxuriant, and true.'' -- Henri Cole''Nine Skies is a graceful realization in each detail of elegy or celebration.'' -- Sandra McPherson