Speak Low

In this tenth collection of poems, Carl Phillips examines the moral and psychological fetters that we impose on ourselves and that are imposed on us, as well as the possibility of achieving some meaningful freedom from both. Moving effortlessly from the body as a site of conquest to the human history of power, Speak Love weighs the human cost of ambition, desire, and risk. What is meant by a fully lived, authentic life, and what must be sacrificed to achieve it? Phillips addresses these topics with his characteristic clarity and originality of thought, beautiful imagery, and linguistic dexterity. Speak Low is the record of a powerful vision that continues to illuminate what it has meant—and can mean—to be alive and human in the world.