Though James Dickey was perhaps the most talented Atlanta writer, he was a confounding man. Born and bred in Buckhead, Atlanta's most affluent neighborhood, Dickey left some fine poems and his popular novel DELIVERANCE has been a cultural force. Here's one of his more well-known poems:

The Heaven of Animals

Here they are. The soft eyes open.
If they have lived in a wood
It is a wood.
If they have lived on plains
It is grass rolling
Under their feet forever.

Having no souls, they have come,
Anyway, beyond their knowing.
Their instincts wholly bloom
And they rise.
The soft eyes open.

To match them, the landscape flowers,
Outdoing, desperately
Outdoing what is required:
The richest wood,
The deepest field.

For some of these,
It could not be the place
It is, without blood.
These hunt, as they have done,
But with claws and teeth grown perfect,

More deadly than they can believe.
They stalk more silently,
And crouch on the limbs of trees,
And their descent
Upon the bright backs of their prey

May take years
In a sovereign floating of joy.
And those that are hunted
Know this as their life,
Their reward: to walk

Under such trees in full knowledge
Of what is in glory above them,
And to feel no fear,
But acceptance, compliance.
Fulfilling themselves without pain

At the cycle's center,
They tremble, they walk
Under the tree,
They fall, they are torn,
They rise, they walk again.

My, I've had this a bit over six years now, and it's been a help. It really is a fine sampling of the poems and prose of James Dickey. When the pulpy book that put him on the celebrity map, the novel DELIVERANCE, came out I was too young to read it or to see the movie later. I do remember viewing the scene of the actual afflicted boy from the mountains who was USED in the movie. He pittifully danced around the "dueling banjos" theme by Flat and Scruggs in this segment that was played over and over on television. Dickey's son, the fine writer Christopher Dickey, wrote of the making of the movie and how it changed his father's life and his family's in the fine memoir SUMMER OF DELIVERANCE. This is another entry to Dickey and my favorite memoir of an Atlanta family. I had been hoping to get to DELIVERANCE, but I just keep putting it off. In my mind, it was a sad prediction of what has happened here in north Georgia where rude and clueless people have overtaken our gorgeous landscape. Atlanta, which was at one time filled with trees and magnificent to see, has been paved over and destroyed. Turning to this book this past week, I've found it consoling and lovely. Dickey speaks for the beautiful landscape and complicated people of this part of the South. I really like the collection presented here. He also, by the way, writes of his adaptation of his novel to film. He was guided by James Agee, one of our most gifted Southern writers and also a tragic figure, though in a cleaner way than James Dickey. Well, I suppose it is time to let this go. I have a bookcrossing friend who wanted a better understanding of Dickey and perhaps this will help. I certainly was finally able to enjoy reading it. Perhaps his early poems were the best. "The Scarred Girl" was particularly touching to me today. I'll return to it, I'm sure. Of course, I'll be able to find it in THE WHOLE MOTION, which is the book Christopher Dickey most ardently recommended in SUMMER OF DELIVERANCE and which I own, along with a first edition copy of DELIVERANCE that I will read one of these days when I'm not feeling too scared or angry about the rape of my world here in Georgia.

Last week marked the 40th anniversary of Dickey's novel, Deliverance. I still haven't read it or seen the movie. I do remember that one of my English teachers scoffed at Dickey's "sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself" or whatever it was he said in that line. Deliverance brought recreational sports to the Georgia Mountains and the film industry to Georgia. These seem here to stay. And Dickey's poetry is still worth reading. I should pay more attention to him. I do think this is the better introductory collection for the Dickey beginner.

Arrived in the mail; thanks! I've only read Dickey in "modern poets" anthologies - it will be interesting to read a wider selection of his work.

This was kind of up & down for me; I like the poetry (overall) more than the prose. I'm going to send it along with some books going back to the southeast...I hope it finds a good home!

Going to glory-to-glory

Arrived today! I love the box of books. Thank you!

Well, the Downtown Square is blocked off for Music Fest, but I was determined to get this book to a Downtown Book Exchange. I found a parking place near a break in the fence and took off walking with my book bag. I was determined no one would stop me from entering the staging area for tonight's concerts. Yes, by golly, I have bookcrossing challenges to complete and a desire to make certain that we have books for our Downtown visitors!!!

I'm releasing this one for the 2014 Tick Tock (embedded am) challenge. I left the book on the second from the top shelf of the phone booth book exchange outside PJ's coffee, Union Square, El Dorado, AR.