“Book by book, we watch the poet make more audacious leaps between archaic and contemporary language and concerns …” Debra Wierenga, Poet Lore.
“In realms between and including the Almighty and actuarial tables, Fried speaks every language faithfully and eloquently.” Renée Ashley, The Literary Review.
Interrogating Water and other poems uses such varied forms and formats as the ballad, sonnet, villanelle, psalm, press release, checklist, obituary, and poll to summon the unmoored voices that proliferate in our wired world. These voices induce a shiver of disquiet as linguistic registers collide in unexpected ways. This compelling collection touches on issues such as gun control, the death penalty, national security and the state.
Philip Fried is a New York-based poet and editor of The Manhattan Review. He has published five previous books of poetry, the most recent being Early/Late: New and Selected Poems (Salmon, 2011).