Quartet for J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Poem

Quartet for J. Robert Oppenheimer records in poetry the life and times of one of America s best-known scientists, the father of the atomic bomb who later lobbied for containment of nuclear weaponry. In brief, elegant stanzas, Kelly Cherry examines Oppenheimer s inspirations, dreams, and values, visiting the events, places, and people that inspired him or led him to despair. She finds his place among scientists of his own time, such as Alan Turing and Albert Einstein, as well as his connections with historical and mythological figures from John Donne to Persephone.

Of course he had blood on his hands. Who did not? says Cherry, in The Nature of War. Again and again in the course of this remarkable poem, Cherry s narration of Oppenheimer s life compels her readers to contemplate the vagaries of science, guilt, and our responsibilities to each other.