"Alfred Corn is one of our finest living poets."
—The Nation

"These are learned poems, rich with historical context; the first work alone follows the "common thread" from fable to Rome to contemporary tragedy, and throughout Corn zings gracefully from the Torah to Celan to Vermeer. A vigorous and arresting work; highly recommended."
—Library Journal's "Best Books of 2002"

"Alfred Corn's Contradictions are open, ardent, and subtle. They ask us to imagine, feel, notice, dream, think, all at once. They are lively in cadence and meter, quick in insight. The result is not a compound but an essence, not flamboyant but poignant. They reaffirm language's truth-claim, disclosing a sense-rooted local truth, a non-consumable good."
—Marie Ponsot

"A first-rate volume of poetry by a premier publisher."
—Tulsa World