What Remains: Selected Poems by David Curzon

 “These striking poems read like the carefully distilled observations of a wise and reflective mind illuminating the experiences of day-to-day life in words that seem as if they were engraved in stone.” —Barry W. Holtz

“Aphoristic, ekphrastic, and precise revelations animate What Remains. In his stunning rewriting of Psalm 1 and other biblical passages, Curzon shows himself to be an heir to the literature, arts, and wisdom traditions of the planet.” —Alicia Ostriker

The poems of David Curzon represent a spiritual imagination in the broadest sense of the term. This collection is extraordinary for its range of themes, reflecting the interests of a deeply-engaged intellect and passionately lived life. With wit and insight, Curzon writes about his youth in Australia, of love and relationships, his encounters with Asian and Near Eastern art and artifacts, and meditations on ancient texts from many cultures. His poems on the Bible and the Jewish historical experience stand out as modern midrashim. What Remains provides a window into the poet’s inner world, always seeking what it means to live with integrity.

Born in Melbourne, now living in New York, Curzon has a B.Sc. in physics and a doctorate in economics. He formerly worked at the United Nations as Chief of the Central Evaluation Unit where he assessed peace-keeping operations and refugee and environment programs. He is the editor and author of seven previous books including the anthology Modern Poems of the Bible and a prose/poem collection, The View from Jacob’s Ladder. His poems have been widely published in literary journals and anthologies.