Raymond Carver, Ultramarine. New York: Random House, 1986. Hardcover, 140 pp. First edition.
Grey quarter cloth and blue textured hardcover paper boards. Name and title stamped in blue to spine. Initials 'RC' stamped in blue to front cover. Original clipped dust jacket.
DJ top edge gently rubbed. 5 mm tear to top edge of front cover.
A VG+ copy in a VG price-clipped dust jacket.
Ex libris Dirk van Bastelaere. Signed book plate 'Poetry' on inside cover.
Dirk van Bastelaere (b. 1960) is one of the leading poets in Flanders. He came to prominence with his award-winning first collection Vijf jaar (1984) and then published Pornschlegel en andere gedichten (1988), one of the most hotly debated collections of Flemish poetry in recent times. This volume was to win for him recognition as the most important postmodern poet in Flanders. This volume was to win for him recognition as the most important postmodern poet in Flanders. His work has been strongly influenced by American poets such as Gertrude Stein and John Ashbery and makes many references to contemporary art and culture, a fact which has led some critics to attack his work for its perceived intellectualism. The younger generation of Flemish poets, however, looks to him as mould-breaker.