{"product_id":"9781848615335","title":"The Markov Chain","description":"\u003cbr\u003ePoetry. \"When Basil Bunting declared that 'Pens are too light. \/ Take a chisel to write,' I imagine he had in mind the kind of exact and exacting poetry Ted Pearson has been steadily producing for decades. In THE MARKOV CHAIN, Pearson presents a series of eight-line poems, each composed of four exquisitely crafted alexandrines: 'These formal restrictions \/\/ are like benedictions...Constraints lead to freedoms \/\/ exceeding predictions.' Raising the ante, Pearson uses these formal constraints to probe the social constraints contemporary culture imposes on art and life. 'When the People say we, \/\/ they don't mean you and me. \/ The consensus they're seeking \/\/ will set no one free.' This double take on constraints creates an animating tension throughout the book, one in which 'The gist of the lyric \/\/ tells a whole other tale.' Pearson's chiseled poems enact a deep investigation into language that at once revels in and questions its own constraints. Follow at your own pace, but Pearson's ear, as always, won't lead you astray.\"—Paul Naylor","brand":"Shearsman Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47038217978096,"sku":"9781848615335","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781848615335_p0.jpg?v=1763752153","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781848615335","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}