ViVa

Edward Estlin Cummings

Liveright, 1997 - Poetry - 87 pages

First published in 1931, ViVa contains four of E. E. Cummings' most experimental poems as well as some of his most memorable. The volume includes such no-famous celebrations as "i sing of Olaf glad and big" and "if there are any heavens my mother will (all be herself) have," along with such favorites as "Space being (don't forget to remember) Curved," "a clown's smirk in the skull of a baboon," and "somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyond."

About the author

E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) was among the most influential, widely read, and revered modernist poets. He was also a playwright, a painter, and a writer of prose. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he studied at Harvard University and, during World War I, served with an ambulance corps in France. He spent three months in a French detention camp and subsequently wrote The Enormous Room, a highly acclaimed criticism of World War I. After the war, Cummings returned to the States and published his first collection of poetry, Tulips & Chimneys, which was characterized by his innovative style: pushing the boundaries of language and form while discussing love, nature, and war with sensuousness and glee. He spent the rest of his life painting, writing poetry, and enjoying widespread popularity and success.

Bibliographic information

• Title: ViVa; Cummings typescript editions, Edward Estlin Cummings; Liveright paperback
• Author: Edward Estlin Cummings
• Editor: George James Firmage
• Edition: 2, reissue
• Publisher: Liveright, 1997
• ISBN: 087140169X, 9780871401694
• Length: 87 pages
• Subjects: Poetry / American / General