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Cargando... Alive: New and Selected Poemspor Elizabeth Willis
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"Called by Susan Howe "one of the most outstanding poets of her generation," the American poet Elizabeth Willis has written some of the most luminous, electrifyingly lyrical poems of the past twenty years. This collection includes work from her five books, poems previously published only in magazines, and a section of new poems. With a poetics as attentive to the music of thought as George Oppen's and an ear that evokes the wildness of Rimbaud's Illuminations, Willis charts intricate, subterranean affinities. Her poems draw us into a range of pleasures and concerns--from the scientific pastorals of Erasmus Darwin, to the domain of painters, politicians, erstwhile saints, witches, and agitators. Within the intimate and civic address of these poems, we witness the chaos of the contemporary world as it falls, for an ecstatic moment, into place: "The word comes at me with its headlights on, so it's revelation and not death.""-- No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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![]() GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)811.54Literature English (North America) American poetry 20th Century 1945-1999Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:![]()
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What bums this up to 4 stars is the title poem at the end of the book, "Alive". It's a spectacular piece of writing, probably in my top 10 ten poems immediately. Supposedly it was written for a live performance, I'll have to look it up. It's an irregular (but not unheard of) style, connecting little thoughts almost like a disjointed piece of prose. Some of the thoughts seem simple and benign, some are quirky or artsy. But the through-lines between them, the string pulling the poem along, becomes more powerful as you progress. Few poems with that much length have really drawn me in so well and so efficiently. The way that Willis plays with language throughout this book (meaning throughout her career) paid off well in that final poem, which was deserving of titling the book.
All in all, a good book. High peaks and fairly low valleys, but throughout I though it was ok. I would not say this is a book that can be eagerly enjoyed by casual poetry readers, my appreciation of it largely came from my understanding of poetry as a culture and craft. (