All animals struggle to survive. In John Barr's poems the success of the heron hunting, the albatross breeding, the inchworm spinning give proof of life. But for us that struggle includes the eternal presence of war. Does the fall of Rome, the Battle of Shiloh, the Normandy Landings––and today's wars—give proof of life or only of the struggle? "John Barr's collection takes its title from an ancient Greek statue that was unearthed after 2,000 years--a fitting emblem for a poet inspired by the deep connections between past and present, history and nature. Whether he is writing about mushrooms on a forest floor or a Civil War battle, Barr offers pleasures that are seldom found in contemporary poetry: a strong formal imagination and the company of an adventurous mind." --Adam Kirsch, author of The Discarded Life “John Barr's collection takes its title from an ancient Greek statue that was unearthed after 2,000 years—a fitting emblem for a poet inspired by the deep connections between past and present, history and nature. Whether he is writing about mushrooms on a forest floor or a Civil War battle, Barr offers pleasures that are seldom found in contemporary poetry: a strong formal imagination and the company of an adventurous mind.” —Adam Kirsch, author of  The Discarded Life John Barr grew up in a rural township outside Chicago. An honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he served on Navy destroyers for five years, including three tours to Vietnam. His poems have appeared in the New York Times , Poetry , and Flaunt Magazine among many periodicals, and in anthologies published by Bloodaxe Books , National Geographic , and the Anthology of Magazine Verse & Yearbook of American Poetry . He was president of the Poetry Foundation and publisher of Poetry magazine for its first decade. The Boxer of Quirinal is his fifth book of poems to be published with Red Hen Press, and his tenth to be published over the past thirty years. He currently resides in Greenwich, CT. Survival struggle: All creatures face this challenge Unearthing the past: Ancient Greek statue resurfaces after millennia Poetic ambition and fulfillment Cultural fusion in poetry Ancient themes in a modern world Epic narrative with a touch of humor