American Melancholy

A new collection of poetry from an American literary legend, her first in twenty-five years

Joyce Carol Oates is one of our most insightful observers of the human heart and mind, and, with her acute social consciousness, one of the most insistent and inspired witnesses of a shared American history.

Oates is perhaps best known for her prodigious output of novels and short stories, many of which have become contemporary classics. However, Oates has also always been a faithful writer of poetry. American Melancholy showcases some of her finest work of the last few decades.

Covering subjects big and small, and written in an immediate and engaging style, this collection touches on both the personal and political. Loss, love, and memory are investigated, along with the upheavals of our modern age, the reality of our current predicaments, and the ravages of poverty, racism, and social unrest. Oates skillfully writes characters ranging from a former doctor at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army hospital to Little Albert, a six-month-old infant who took part in a famous study that revealed evidence of classical conditioning in human beings. 

This collection masterfully explores the dark corners of American history and the human mind:

• Psychological Poetry: Poems that revisit infamous psychological studies, including the cases of Little Albert and Harlow’s monkeys, to question the nature of fear and cruelty.
• American History: A fearless look at the ravages of poverty, racism, and social unrest that shape the nation’s conscience.
• Unflinching Portraits: Incisive character studies ranging from Marlon Brando in Hell to a former doctor in a Chinese People’s Liberation Army hospital.
• Lyrical and Political: The first collection in twenty-five years from a National Book Award winner, where personal loss, love, and memory are woven with the political upheavals of our modern age.