In Their Own Words

Avia is a book-length poem (272 pages) in the spirit of William Carlos Williams on international fighter aircraft combat, 1939-45.The frame: Lindbergh, after his Paris flight, dreams of coming back in the Spirit rather than going by ship as ordered. In the cockpit, voices arise--as they had over the Atlantic--but this time tell him of World War II: Britain, Malta, Africa, Russia, Europe, the Pacific. The dream excepted, 15 years of research guarantee factual authenticity including material (e.g, in the Russia section) not previously available in English. Lindbergh wakes to fight in the Pacific, collect aviation experts in Germany, and die reviewing his life and controversial views on Hawaii. The poem may be the most substantial thing of its kind in literature.