Volume 51, Number 4 · March 11, 2004
Difference in Similarity
By Charles Simic
Departure
by Rosanna Warren
Norton, 118 pp., $22.95
The Strange Hours Travelers Keep
by August Kleinzahler
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 98 pp., $22.00
The Singing
by C.K. Williams
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 72 pp., $20.00
Poets have long memories. They recall poets of the past, famous and obscure, read them, imitate them, and keep them from being completely forgotten. It sometimes seems as if every poet who has ever lived is still our contemporary. To a greater or lesser degree, poetry written in any historical period is an amalgam of traditions. This appears to be the case today more than it ever was in the past. After a century of innovation and an immense amount of translation, there's nothing homogeneous about American poetry—if there ever was. There are still followers of Frost, W.C. Williams, and Stevens around, but they have to compete with East European, Latin American, and Chinese poets. Now even the Greek and Roman classics are revered once again. With all the scavenging among moderns and ancients, it is no longer easy to stick labels on poets. This makes it tough on those who like to know what they are getting and joy for those who don't mind being surprised now and then.
Review, 3794 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |