Quipu (book)
 | |
| Author | Arthur Sze |
|---|---|
| Genre | Poetry |
| Publisher | Copper Canyon Press |
| Publication date | September 1, 2005 |
| Pages | 88 |
| ISBN | 978-1-55659-226-3 |
Quipu is a 2005 poetry collection by Arthur Sze, published by Copper Canyon Press.[1]
Title
The title refers to the quipu, an Incan device made of knotted cords used for record-keeping. In Centrum, Sze described his interest in how quipus "might encode language" and said he sought to harness "dyed strings of language along with forms of knotting" in his poems.[2]
Critical reception
Publishers Weekly wrote that Sze "weaves together details from nature, questions from philosophy, and discoveries from modern physics, collecting facts with a Thoreau-like patience," stating that the poems create "a poetry of simultaneity, and a contemplative mindset."[3]
The Boston Review described the book as a "shifting, shimmering fabric of images and instances, a vibrant homage to what [Wallace] Stevens called 'the intricacies of appearance.'"[4]
Sink Review praised Sze's observational powers but lamented that the book's "happy moments, sad moments, harsh moments, erotic moments, historical, scientific and philosophical observations all begin to point in the same direction over and over."[5]
Writing for the International Poetry Festival of Medellín, a critic called the collection an example of "string theory" vis-à-vis Sze's method of knotting disparate materials together through the quipu metaphor.[6]
References
- ↑ "Quipu". Copper Canyon Press. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
- ↑ Sze, Arthur (2007-04-02). "Arthur Sze On Ancient Inca and Chinese Narratives". Centrum. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
- ↑ "Quipu". Publishers Weekly. 2005. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
- ↑ "Microreview: Arthur Sze, Quipu". Boston Review. 2005. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
- ↑ Magers, Dan. "Observation and Rhetoric in Sze's Quipu". Sink Review. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
- ↑ "Some notes on Quipu by Arthur Sze: string theory". Festival Internacional de Poesía de Medellín. Retrieved 2026-04-12.