Maurice Manning (1)

Enjoyed this poetry collection quite a lot. Manning conjures a ramshackle cast of Southern characters and shines a light on their small graces. Lots of tree love too, reminded me of “Lanny” at times. “Black praise? I give it then.”

Manning's first collection is a smorgasbord of form but all revolving around a familiar pit of existential ruminations and an explication of the southern landscape. At their most particular and intimate moments the poems feel both bizarre and familiar. And the depth of empathy for the characters in this constellation is humbling.

The Common Man weaves through a familiar landscape of hollers and rickity porches, accompanied by a range of voices, familiar components in Manning's work. I can't say there's much in this collection that is on the same register as his newest, One Man's Dark, but there are some profound moments of insight into the mythologies that make a place and the particular theological quandaries that are indeed common, but also profound.

One Man's Dark hit me right between the eyes. Manning display an amazing breadth of voice in this collection and a striking oscillation from folk tales, myth, lyric poems, and even a prayer. Where I found wisdom I also found humor and a transcendence deeply rooted in the geography of the South.