About the Book
Poetry. I have been drawn to Judith Skillman's work for three decades, ever since her first book, Worship of the Visible Spectrum. In her latest volume, she inhabits the mind of Franz Kafka, as well as some of those who loomed large in his life: family members, would-be sweethearts, his editors. We thus see the world in the outré, off-kilter way that Kafka seems to have--as if the lenses of his eyes worked differently than most people's, letting in a light that few can focus. In KAFKA'S SHADOW, he sees edges that others don't, edges that cut him off from taking part in 'normal' life--pleasing his father, marrying, performing work that others consider productive. Skillman's use of internal rhyme in many of these poems exemplifies how Kafka's world, while being initially recognizable as our own, resonates on another frequency, bringing music sharp and unfamiliar to our ears. This book gives us a deeper knowledge of Kafka as a person and artist, of his times and difficulties in finding his place. Though he loved peonies, we see the thistles that grew around him.--Michael Spence, author of Umbilical, winner of The New Criterion Poetry Prize
Reading Skillman's poems, I felt more acutely my own desire to be fully alive, the pressing realities of beauty and loss.--John Amen, editor of The Pedestal Magazine
...readers will encounter the intelligence and honesty of the real thing.--Brendan Galvin
Skillman's ability to accommodate multiple meanings in even the most seemingly straightforward of sentences is like being pushed by a doppelganger who insists we jump beyond obvious interpretations.--Christianne Balk, author of The Holding Hours, UW Poetry Series
An enviable collection of free verse on one of the most enduring writers of the 20th century, Franz Kafka, gives a look into the life of this writer as well as his family and the culture of his times. A figure most of us know only by reputation takes on a breathing, contemporary aspect based on extensive research by a widely respected award winning American poet. The craftsmanship of the collection is to be savored. --Carol Smallwood
About the Author :
Judith Skillman is the author of several books, including KAFKA'S SHADOW (Deerbrook Editions, 2017), THE HOUSE OF BURNT OFFERINGS (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2015), BROKEN LINES: THE ART & CRAFT OF POETRY (Lummox Press, 2013), The Phoenix: New & Selected Poems 2007 - 2013, PRISONER OF THE SWIFTS (Ahadada Books, 2009), CIRCE'S ISLAND (Silverfish Review Press, 2003) and RED TOWN (Silverfish Review Press, 2001). Judith Skillman was born in Syracuse, New York of Canadian parents, and holds dual citizenship. She is an amateur violinist, the mother of three grown children, and the 'Grammy' of twin girls. She holds a Masters in English Literature from the University of Maryland, and has taught at University of Phoenix, Richard Hugo House, City University, and Yellow Wood Academy. Ms. Skillman is the recipient of an Eric Mathieu King Fund Award from the Academy of American Poets for her book Storm (Blue Begonia Press), a King County Arts Commission (KCAC) Publication Prize, Public Arts Grant, and Washington State Arts Commission Writer's Fellowship. Two of her books were finalists for the Washington State Book Award (RED TOWN and PRISONER OF THE SWIFTS). A Jack Straw Foundation Writer in 2008 for poetry, and 2013 for fiction, Skillman's poetry has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes. She has received the UK Kit Award, Best of the Web, and her work is included in Best Indie Verse of New England. Poems have appeared in Poetry, FIELD, Tampa Review, The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Midwest Quarterly Review, Seneca Review, Prairie Schooner, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Jewish American Poets, and other journals and anthologies. She has been a Writer in Residence at the Centrum Foundation in Port Townsend, Washington, and The Hedgebrook Foundation. At the Center for French Translation in Seneffe, Belgium, she translated Belgian- French poet Anne-Marie Derèse.
