Now he slept soundly through the nights, and often he dreamed of trains, and often of one particular train: He was on it; he could smell the coal smoke; a world went by. And then he was standing in that world as the sound of the train died away. A frail familiarity in these scenes hinted to him that they came from his childhood. Sometimes he woke to hear the sound of the Spokane International fading up the valley and realized he’d been hearing the locomotive as he dreamed.” DENIS JOHNSON, Train Dreams
Archives for posts with tag: Denis Johnson
LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW (Excerpt)
by Denis Johnson
Looking out our astounding
clear windows before evening,
It is almost as if
the world were blue
with some lubricant,
it shines so.
…Read “Looking Out the Window” by Denis Johnson in its entirety at poetryfoundation.org. The poem appears in The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly: Poems Collected and New, Copyright © 1995 by Denis Johnson. Find the book at Amazon.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in 1949, Denis Johnson’s first collection of poetry, The Man Among the Seals (Stone Wall Press, 1969), was published when he was 20. His other poetry collections include Inner Weather (Graywolf, 1976), The Incognito Lounge (Random House, 1982), and The Veil (Knopf, 1985). He is also the author of many novels, including Angels (Knopf, 1983) as well as the renowned story collection Jesus’ Son (Harper Perennial, 1992). Johnson’s most recent book of poetry is The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly: Poems Collected and New (Harper Perennial, 1995). Johnson’s honors include the National Book award, Lannan Fellowship in Fiction, a Whiting Writer’s Award, National Poetry Series, and the Aga Khan Prize for Fiction from the Paris Review. (Read more at poetryfoundation.org.)
Photo: “Looking out the dining room window” by Kevin Green, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW (Excerpt)
by Denis Johnson
Looking out our astounding
clear windows before evening,
It is almost as if
the world were blue
with some lubricant,
it shines so.
…Read “Looking Out the Window” by Denis Johnson in its entirety at poetryfoundation.org. The poem appears in The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly: Poems Collected and New, Copyright © 1995 by Denis Johnson. Find the book at Amazon.com.
Painting by Henri Matisse (1869-1954)
LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW (Excerpt)
Poem by Denis Johnson
…Looking out our astounding
clear windows before evening.
It is almost as if
the world were blue
with some lubricant,
it shines so.
Photo: John Divola, permanent collection J. Paul Getty Museum
Today, we’ll feature several posts that include short passages from Jesus’ Son, the masterful, lyrical, magical short story collection by Denis Johnson (pictured above), accompanied by evocative photos by Kevin Dooley.
Photo: Cindy Lee Johnson, All Rights Reserved
I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.” DENIS JOHNSON, Jesus’ Son
Photo: Abandoned storefront in Indiana by Kevin Dooley
That world! These days it’s all been erased and they’ve rolled it up like a scroll and put it away somewhere. Yes, I can touch it with my fingers. But where is it?” DENIS JOHNSON, Jesus’ Son
Photo: Boarded-up building in Arizona by Kevin Dooley
The stories of the fallen world, they excite us. That’s the interesting stuff.” DENIS JOHNSON, Jesus’ Son
Photo: Abandoned building in Arizona by Kevin Dooley
…he couldn’t tell me what he was dreaming, and I couldn’t tell him what was real.” DENIS JOHNSON, Jesus’ Son
If you haven’t read Jesus’ Son (not a book about religion!) Denis Johnson‘s masterpiece of connected short stories, pick it up. I consider it one of the most beautifully written books of all time.
Photo: Polaroid of abandoned motel in Arizona by Kevin Dooley
Silver Birch Press 