Strange You Never Knew

Overview

The thematic motif found within these poems is one of "knowing": the desire to know the mystery of love in its many forms and depths. Examining daily living, this book’s four-section poem sequence is one of immersion into the paradoxical life; familiar yet filled with inexplicable beauty. As it investigates displacement from family, from love, and from self, this compilation discovers that the mundane transpires in an austere and holy place peopled with angels unaware, that faith can exist in a place of stone—absolution is available daily—and that redemption is found in strange places.

Reviews

"Robert Fink’s new book, his best yet, has the clarity of long experience, the surprise of coming to terms with life, a rare achieved maturity."  —Edward Hirsch, author, How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry

"Wisdom, Emerson reminds us, consists in keeping the soul liquid, and in Robert Fink’s wise, stunning new collection, language and feeling arrive like a sudden rain shower to relieve the parched places in our souls. . . . In Robert Fink’s luminous work—tender toward our weaknesses and alive to our strengths—we have all found that better understanding."  —Mark Sullivan, author, Slag

"Filled with vivid colors, characters, even memorable dogs, Robert Fink’s sixth collection is one that powerfully affirms the worth of poetry in our lives. There is grief in these poems rooted in the Texas landscape Fink knows so well, and terror, but also humor, kindness, and generosity, as well as a compassion and wisdom that will cause me to return often to these beautifully crafted poems. . . . this is a collection to grab hold of and not to let go."  —Wendy Barker, author, Way of Whiteness

Author Biography

Robert A. Fink is the W. D. and Hollis R. Bond Professor of English and director of creative writing at Hardin-Simmons University as well as the poetry editor of the Walt MacDonald First Book Competition in Poetry. He is the author of five books of poetry, including The Tongues of Men and of Angels, Tracking the Morning, and Twilight Innings: A West Texan on Grace and Survival, and the recipient of Texas Review Poetry Prize. He lives in Abilene, Texas.