Walking in the forest one morning, a young man disturbs two copulating snakes—and is punished by the goddess Hera, who turns him into a woman. So begins a riveting tale of youth and experience, wealth and poverty, sex and love, that draws ancient figures into a fiercely contemporary vision. Weaving elements of classical myth, autobiography and social commentary, Tempest uses the story of the blind, clairvoyant Tiresias to create four sequences of poems, addressing childhood, manhood, womanhood, and late life. The result is a rhythmically hypnotic —and a hugely ambitious leap forward for one of the most broadly talented and compelling young writers today.