Front Lines, Vol. 55

In the activist verse of this poetic warrior, always committed, the actual world is never out of mind, even in his most intimate poems. Kabbalist, populist, and communist, Hirschman has published over sixty books of his own poetry, and this representative selection is a cross-section of his poetic output, spanning many years and mutations. When he reads aloud, the words take fire, and on the page they crackle and spark.

Jack Hirschman is a San Francisco poet, translator and editor. His powerfully eloquent voice set the tone for political poetry in this country many years ago. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, plus some forty-five translations from a half a dozen languages, as well the editor of anthologies and journals.

For Hirschman, the political is the most lyrical. This fine selection of his poetry embodies both.

Bloomsbury Review

The publication of Front Lines . . . serves as an appropriate celebration of Jack Hirschman's 70th birthday and his staying power as a poet of conscience.

Jack Hirschman (b. December 13, 1933, in New York, NY) is a poet and social activist who has written more than 50 volumes of poetry. Dismissed from teaching at UCLA for anti-war activities in 1966, he moved to San Francisco in 1973, and is the city's present poet laureate. Hirschman translates nine languages and edited the Artuad Anthology.