Supermodel

Epic poems need epic heroesdivine, fantastic creatures, whose larger than life exploits project the spirit of an age. Homer's had Odysseus, Dante's Beatrice, and now David Breskin has bequeathed our celebrity-obsessed era its very own form-fitting 'Supermodel'. Loosely inspired by the story of tsunami survivor Petra Nemcova, the heroine ofSupermodelis an outsized force of nature: fiercely competitive, intellectually curious, emotionally wounded, resolutely moral, and of course, ravishingly attractivea globe-trotting innocent who exudes sexuality in every way, except the most obvious. As she literally clings to life, her story is revealed in a series of flashbacks which wing us from Middle East to Wild West, desert to tropics, country to cityall vividly described, in potent couplets, as paradises found and lost. Breskin peppers this dark comedy with unsettling wordplay, shrewd social commentary, and a reporter's acute eye for the facts of life: his virtuosic writing matches the breathless pace and rich complexity of his heroine's travails. But even as Breskin relates his supermodel's tale, his story is matched by strangely salient scrolls of 'found poetry' culled from web sites. This new feat of literary dovetailing creates a sublime surprise: the first epic poem of the Internet Age.Breskin, David is the author of 'Supermodel', published 2006 under ISBN 9781933368429 and ISBN 193336842X.