National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries

Sentences by Robert Grenier

The Fine Arts Library is very pleased to showcase an exciting addition to our Artists’ Book Collection. Sentences (1978) by Robert Grenier, a contemporary American poet, is currently on show in the display cabinet. Sentences consists of 350 fragmentary phrases and words printed onto 500 index cards. Sentences was published in 1978 by the Whale Cloth Press in an edition of 200 copies – all of which were sold. However, in 2011, 26 more copies of this work were rediscovered in a Massachusetts storage unit (Harriet Staff, 2011). The Fine Arts Library was fortunate enough to be gifted one of these newly found copies by David Silich.

A privately owned copy of this work was included in this year’s Paper-Jams exhibition, held at the Gus Fisher Gallery. Note that the Whale Cloth Press website is currently unavailable but you can read a review of the book here.

References

• Grenier, R. (1978). Sentences (1st printing. ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: Whale Cloth Press. ARTISTS BOOK 12-34.
• Harriet Staff. (2011). “Extra” Copies of Robert Grenier’s Sentences Discovered.  Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2011/08/extra-copies-of-robert-greniers-sentences-discovered/

Print posted @ Wednesday, August 22, 2012 12:41 PM