The Set-Up by Joseph Moncure March

Update: The Set-Up is now available from Korero Press, illustrated by Erik Kriek. Order your copy.

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Originally published in 1928, The Set-Up is Joseph Moncure March’s hard-boiled narrative poem about the American boxing underworld, told in syncopated rhyming couplets. A lost classic by the author of The Wild Party, it inspired Robert Wise’s celebrated 1949 film noir, starring Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter.

Korero Press has returned March’s original 1928 text to print, pairing it with specially commissioned black-and-white artwork by award-winning Dutch comic artist Erik Kriek.

The Set-Up: Joseph Moncure March and Erik Kriek

Explore The Set-Up

• The Set-Up: Poetry in the Ring – a deep dive into the poem’s boxing world, film-noir adaptation and history.
• Erik Kriek on Illustrating The Set-Up – the illustrator discusses his black-and-white artwork for The Set-Up.

Order The Set-Up