Self-portrait in a convex mirror.

New York: Penguin Books, 1976. First paperback edition. Very Good. 18cm; 83 pages. SIGNED by Ashbery on title page. First appearance of the cover photo of the poet by Darragh Park. Lower right corner of upper cover bumped, crease off the top edge near spine, affecting photo. Lower corner slightly bumped on both outer corners. Part of lower joint abraded, without weakness. A very good copy withal, not dogeared, not marred, not underlined, not broken.

John Ashbery won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror." Not only in the title poem, which the critic (truncated) John Russell has called "one of the finest long poems of our period," but throughout the entire volume, John Ashbery reaffirms the poetic powers that have made him such an outstanding figure in contemporary literature.....

The front cover photo took on cultural significance. The Wikipedia explains: "The Penguin paperback cover features a glamorous photo portrait of the author by Darragh Park. Journalist Thomas Vinciguerra described Ashbery's pose as if '[stood] in all hunky glory, hips slightly cocked', wearing a 'windowpane shirt open to midchest' and 'tight slacks [that] have no belt loops.' Matthew Zapruder wrote that his look was a 'simultaneously ill-advised and completely stylish ensemble.' Susan M. Schultz said the 'cheesy' cover resembled a somewhat 'cheap romance novel, like the kind you'd see near the checkout counter of a drugstore.' The bold look contrasted sharply with the conservative, uniformly preppy style Ashbery had adhered to throughout the 1960s. David Lehman recalled that, when he met Ashbery in 1967, the poet typically wore 'a tie and a jacket and he always looked very natty.' According to Lehman, his change in style reflected the progress of the post-Stonewall gay liberation movement, as Ashbery could present himself as 'more visibly and publicly who he was.'"

Marina Warner called Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror "one of the most remarkable explorations of the idea of the self seen in a mirror, and how your features and your face relate to your inner being. It's an amazing poem. (Inventory #: 6455)