"Modern History is Buckley's most personal book to date. In no other work is his presence so immediate. The lyricism, questing intelligence, spiritual longing, honesty and zany humor that mark his many previous books are all here, as well as the direct connection to his soul." "Modern History makes it clear that Buckley is not interested in the petty distinctions between genres. His prose poems stretch the boundaries of the form. In them, he mines the lyrical residue of his age - Simonized Chryslers, Gina Lollobrigida, doo-wop and Brylcreem - for his libretto to a celestial music that defies the passing years." --Book Jacket.