Distant Mandate

A shimmering collection of poems that explores the tormented southern landscape and the imaginative landscapes of Western artIn Distant Mandate, acclaimed poet Ange Mlinko moves between the arid and flooded scrublands of the American South and the mythical realms of Western art. Guided by her spiritual forbears-Orpheus, Mallarme, Pound, Yeats, and others-Mlinko deftly places herself within the tradition of the poet in protest against the obduracy of the real.Taking its title from Laszlo Krasznahorkai's musings on the unknowable origins of the Alhambra, Distant Mandate grapples with the 'bitter ideal' that underlies all works of art-the torment of eros and the intimation of war. Mlinko reimagines classic myths like Cupid and Psyche and offers odes to Aphrodite, while also exploring the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice.In this vibrant collection, Mlinko shows us how literature imagines itself through life, and how life, in turn, reimagines itself through literature. Distant Mandate is a shimmering testament to the enduring power of poetry by one of America's most celebrated contemporary poets.