DAVID LEHMAN is the editor of The Oxford Book of American Poetry, the series editor of The Best American Poetry, and the author of seven books of poems, most recently When a Woman Loves a Man. He lives in New York City.
"Digressive, nostalgic and deeply moving, Lehman achieves a fine,
lasting tribute to the American songbook."
--Publishers Weekly "David Lehman's A Fine Romance wittily explores
the enormous contribution of Jewish writers and composers to the
American musical scene. Lehman finds Jewish influence, or what he
calls 'a plaintive undertow, ' even in such unlikely upbeat anthems
as Gershwin's 'Love Walked In.' His love-struck history is itself a
major entertainment."
--John Ashbery, author of Three Poems
"David Lehman's A Fine Romance is a spirited account and
reminiscence of a time when Jewish plaintiveness and wit combined
with Negro blues to give our American culture its way of singing.
Everyone who hums the great old tunes will delight in this book and
its wondrous lore."
--Richard Wilbur, author of Things of This World "With brio and
encyclopedic knowledge, David Lehman has penned a lovely valentine
to the American songbook. Along the way, hard questions are asked,
contradictions confronted and shrewd insights offered. The result
is pure delight."
--Phillip Lopate, author of Two Marriages
"A wonderfully compelling and poetic analysis that re-envisions the
American songbook."
--Craig Morgan Teicher, Publisher's Weekly
"What a lovely book this is . . . Lehman is a fine writer, in full
command of his subject."
--writerscast.com "A Fine Romance is thoroughly enjoyable, right
down to the short, witty, and informative chronology at the end of
the book. Whether one is familiar with this music and wants to
rekindle its romance, or unfamiliar and wants to ignite such a
passion, this book is just the ticket."
--Rain Taxi Review of Books
"Though there's lots of learning here, there's no heavy-handedness:
this is a chrestomathy of loved tunes and musical moments, evoked
casually, but with wide authority and tact . . . song is for
pleasure after all, if I can quote some non-Jewish jazz royalty in
Duke Ellington, 'it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.'
Lehman has that swing."
--Tikkun
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