"Don't Tell Me Trees Don't Talk" and Other Poems

Jesse Bier

1997
97 pages
ISBN 0-8387-5343-4

The poems in "Don't Tell Me Trees Don't Talk" and Other Poems play a dual role. On the one hand, they are regional - Western and Montana settings figure in them prominently - but they are at the same time cosmopolitan. Geographically, they deal with subjects from Europe to the South Pacific. As for time, they range from 60 years of the author's life to 150 years of history. The mood of the poems ranges from the skeptical to the wry, from the serious to the exultant, and the angry to the humorous and tender. The tension between the dark and hopeful provides dramatic interest, and the placement of nonreligious but ethnic Jewish American in Montana helps to furnish unique interest. For the remainder, they provide a flexible style of varied voices.

About the author:

After serving in the Armed Forces during World War II, Jesse Bier graduated from Bucknell University in 1949, then received an M.A. degree (1952) and Ph.D. (1956) from Princeton University. He taught at the University of Colorado and the University of Montana, Missoula. He has also taught at Bucknell University, San Diego State College, and the Universities of Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon, France.

In 1972 Dr. Bier held the chair of American Literature at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and in 1995 concluded his teaching career with lectures at the Sorbonne. His other publications include works of scholarly criticism, short stories, and three works of fiction: Trial at Bannock (1963), A Hole in the Lead Apron (1964), and Year of the Cougar (1976).