The Windows of Brimnes
An American in Iceland
by Bill Holm
Poet, musician, wit, polemicist—Bill Holm is one of a kind. In Brimnes, his most ambitious book to date, he repairs to his cottage in Iceland to reflect on the state of our country today and what we might learn from the land of his ancestral roots.
Looking west from the extraordinary setting of Brimnes—a place of beautiful and seemingly endless light, the sound of the sea, and much open space, Holm considers America from the perspective afforded by his house, that “series of magical windows with a few simple boards behind to hold them up.” Throughout, Holm weaves a series of recurring contrasts: the isolation, loneliness, and fear of American society against the warmth and genuine community of Iceland; the seemingly permanent state of war, fundamentalism, and pervasive violence we live in as opposed to a strong tradition of secularism, pacifism, and love of nature; and the traditional American indifference, if not animosity, toward culture versus the celebration of poetry and music prevalent among Icelanders.
For the legions of Bill Holm fans as well as for those yearning for some straight if often comical reflection on the state of our country today, this book will provide a memorable experience.
Bill Holm
Author's Bio:BILL HOLM was born to Icelandic immigrants on a farm north of Minneota,
Minnesota in 1943. A long-time resident of Minneota, Holm lived with
his wife Marcie and taught at Southwest Minnesota State University in
Marshall from 1980 until he retired in 2007. He traveled widely, to
Iceland on a Fulbright in 1979, and more recently to his summer home in
Hofsos; and to China, where he taught on an academic exchange program
in 1986 and again in 1992. The recipient of the 2008 McKnight
Distinguished Artist Award, Holm is the author of several books of
essays and poetry including, The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth, Coming Home Crazy, Playing the Black Piano, and most recently, The Windows of Brimnes. Known both regionally and nationally as a humorist, writer, and prairie radical, Bill Holm passed away on February 26, 2009.
Quotes:"The tallest radical humorist in the Midwest and a truthful and graceful writer.” —Garrison Keillor
"Bill Holm’s is a classic American voice. . . . It’s the voice of the prairie radical, the village agnostic, toting volumes of Walt Whitman. ” —Los Angeles Times
“Holm is as good at the personal essay as anyone working in this generous, intimate, and conversational form.” —Ted Kooser
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Price:
$ 22.00
Binding: Hardcover
Availability In Stock: 7
Available Immediately
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Published: 2007
Size: 5.5x8.5
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9781571313027
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