A Miscellany

Originally published in limited edition in 1958, and then as an expanded version several years later, this long-out-of-print collection serves as a welcome reminder that Cummings’s output encompassed much more than his famous verse. The content comprises mostly prose pieces, along with excerpts from an unfinished play and, of course, poems. Throughout, Cummings’s distinctive style is in full flower, even as most of the pieces come from his early career as a Vanity Fair contributor in the 1920s. Satirical, pointed, and gleaming, Cummings’s essays commented on the American fascination with France, the popularity of burlesque, and the rise of tabloids. More seriously, he also tackled modern artistic movements, such as cubism, that were flourishing at the time. Other pieces reveal the experimental and almost chaotic streak in Cummings’s writing, with some working and others falling flat. Throughout, though, there are nuggets of universal observation that still ring true (“America makes prodigious mistakes. America has colossal faults, but one thing cannot be denied: America is always on the move”). The volume also includes many of Cummings’s illustrations, revealing another facet of his abundant creativity. Cummings enthusiasts will delight that these writings are now readily available. (July)