The Body Double A Long Poem

Poetry. “Harel writes with such grace, lacing his preoccupations with such a light touch of humor, that you often forget THE BODY DOUBLE is cut from the same big questions that keep us all up at night. If you’ve strayed from poetry, this is the book that will bring you back. If you’ve ever secretly wished that Kafka had been an optimist, this is the poet for you.”—Tea Obreht

“With mischievous appreciation for the human dilemma, THE BODY DOUBLE charts the adventures of a rebellious, canny self within the self, and in doing so offers an imaginative perspective on both the classic doppelgänger and the contemporary fascination with identity. These charming ontological poems suggest our myopia and powerlessness in the face of our own fears and delusions. They offer a wild exploration of proximity: estranged identities we wish we could suppress, the neighboring self we pity or blame. The wily id morphs into a sweeter version of the evil twin—a double-tasking double-dealer who gradually subsumes the hapless narrator. By means of such subtle doubling, Jared Harel entertains and surprises as he encounters—and enlivens—one of the great literary motifs.”—Alice Fulton

“THE BODY DOUBLE is an impressive achievement of imagination and wordplay. With this, his first collection, Harel enters the American literary scene already accomplished. An estimable debut.”—BJ Ward

“When we look closely at ‘I,’ we always seem to see a stranger, and so the doppelg,,nger is a perennial figure of dream. The shadow self follows us, looks back sometimes from the face of a person across from us at the intersection, and sometimes seems to speak out of our mouths before we know what’s happening. Harel’s witty and inventive poem employs a wide register of forms—from the sonnet to the legal contract—to investigate the inexhaustible power of Rimbaud’s dictum: Je est un autre.”—Mark Doty

“Jared Harel’s poetry is spare, beautiful, and evocative. He represents a unique voice in his generation.”—Liz Rosenberg