Lustrous Literature

BOOK AND DAGGER

How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II

BY ELYSE GRAHAM 

Book and Dagger, published by HarperCollins, is the latest work of Elyse Graham, professor in the Department of English. In this book the New York Times Book Review described as “lively,” she turns the spotlight on the academics who entered into the world of espionage to help in the efforts during World War II.

At the start of WWII, the US, in desperate need of an intelligence agency, formed the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—and, seeking to fill its ranks with experts, turned to professors, and librarians for recruits. Graham outlines how these surprising spies shaped the course of the war and our postwar cultural institutions.

Graham recently gave a lecture about her work as part of the Humanities Institute’s lecture series. Read more about Book and Dagger by viewing the story on our news site.

SILVER

BY ROWAN RICARDO PHILLIPS

The fourth collection of poetry by SUNY Distinguished Professor Rowan Ricardo Phillips has been described as “lustrous as the metal of its title.” Published in early 2024, the collection was recently named to the longlist for the National Book Award and for the Laurel Prize.

The National Book Award’s mission is ​​to celebrate the best literature published in the United States and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture. The Laurel Prize, funded by the UK Poet Laureate and run by the Poetry School, is awarded to the best collection of environmental or nature poetry published that year.  

“To be longlisted for the National Book Award is a huge honor, and this is the second time Professor Phillips has earned that honor (previously in 2015 for his second book, Heaven). Silver is a tremendous accomplishment and a major addition to a brilliant poetic career. There really is no other voice in poetry quite like this,” said Benedict Robinson, professor and chair in the Department of English. 

In addition to being longlisted for the National Book Award and the Laurel Prize, Silver was recently reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement. Phillips’ poem “The First and Final Poem Is the Sun” was also included in Best American Poetry 2024. 

THE BULGARIAN TRAINING MANUAL

BY RUTH BONAPACE ’76, MFA ’17

In June 2024, Clash Books released the debut novel of alumna Ruth Bonapace, a professional writer who, as an undergraduate, was the managing editor of The Statesman. The Bulgarian Training Manual is a comic novel that tells the story of Tina in her quest to find her true parents and jeans that fit.

With the help of a mysterious book with magical powers, Tina makes her way from her waterlogged apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey, to an Oz-like journey to Bulgaria and back. The heroine is the catalyst for a final contest that is part body-builder pose-off and part poetry slam. 

According to the publisher, “the novel is a sly and comic look at self-improvement, our self-doubts and fervent dreams, and our endless internal yammering. Those who follow The Bulgarian Training Manual add more than muscle. They become poets.”

The novel has received glowing reviews. To read more about it, please visit www.ruthbonapace.com.