Reviews of Donkey Gospel

“In Donkey Gospel, Tony Hoagland’s puzzlement is palpable, and yet his effervescent cleverness and original twists of phrase, sometimes aphoristic in philosophical content, ring true. His poetry of cultural irony, contemporary sexuality, and the absurdities of the rock-and-roll generation leave us with a satisfied feeling of having ridden out a storm….One is left with a desire to read Hoagland again, to meet up with his poetry in the future, sure that he will be witty—but not sarcastic—empathetic, and forgiving of human folly.” —Hungry Mind Review

“Hoagland’s first book, Sweet Ruin, was a book of true insouciance and chutzpah…Donkey Gospel follows in this spirit, and the result is a kind of Frank O’Hara spritzing, a high humanism, and a well-humored sense of pluck…It’s a powerful second book, and leaves one wanting more.” —Harvard Review

“The results of his vigilance and ambition are narratives of disillusionment and loss, meditations on childhood, manhood, adulthood, family, sexuality, and friendship unsettling enough to make us shudder and poignant enough to break our hearts.” —Marlboro Review