The Common Man, Maurice Manningโs fourth collection, is a series of ballad-like narratives, set down in loose, unrhymed iambic tetrameter, that honors the strange beauty of the Kentucky mountain country he knew as a child, as well as the idiosyncratic adventures and personalities of the oldtimers who were his neighbors, friends, and family. Playing off the bookโs title, Manning demonstrates that no one is c ...Full description
The Common Man, Maurice Manningโs fourth collection, is a series of ballad-like narratives, set down in loose, unrhymed iambic tetrameter, that honors the strange beauty of the Kentucky mountain country he knew as a child, as well as the idiosyncratic adventures and personalities of the oldtimers who were his neighbors, friends, and family. Playing off the bookโs title, Manning demonstrates that no one is common or simple. Instead, he creates a detailed, complex, and poignant portraitโby turns serious and hilarious, philosophical and speculative, but ultimately tragicโof a fast-disappearing aspect of American culture. The Common Manโs accessibility and its enthusiastic and sincere charms make it the perfect antidote to the glib ironies that characterize much contemporary American verse. It will also help to strengthen Manningโs reputation as one of his generationโs most important and original voices.