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ogreart's review
4.0
These were not bad. I always find it interesting when an author I know from one genre, pops up in a completely different one.
maenad_wordsmith's review
I read a lot of poetry and a lot of books by Ursula Le Guin, so it's rather surprising that I haven't read a book of her poetry until now. I enjoyed many of the poems in this collection (but not all of them)--in both verse and prose, she can stir emotion and paint a scene with a beautiful and feminine economy of words. Some of the poems in this book are about translating Virgil, connecting with her book Lavinia (which I read last month). I'm very much in love with connections between prose and poetry as well as between old and new texts. I was impressed with her love of and use of silence and song in many places.
Somewhat coincidentally, all the books I've read this year have been by female authors, and they have spanned many of the genres I usually read--poetry, SF/F, classic lit, and nonfiction. I have read some poems, essays, and excerpts of fiction by men, and I will have to read a male-authored book soon for my TA-ship, but it's interesting to see how many books by women I read in a row without really trying to read only women.
Somewhat coincidentally, all the books I've read this year have been by female authors, and they have spanned many of the genres I usually read--poetry, SF/F, classic lit, and nonfiction. I have read some poems, essays, and excerpts of fiction by men, and I will have to read a male-authored book soon for my TA-ship, but it's interesting to see how many books by women I read in a row without really trying to read only women.
nglofile's review
4.0
Le Guin's writing never fails to inspire. I have been transported by her fiction and awed by her essays, but if I'd previously sampled her poetry, it had been in isolated occurrences. After a particularly enjoyable advisory conversation with a patron, one in which we were reminded that Le Guin considered herself first, foremost, and last a poet, I wasted not a moment in identifying which of her collections would be my next experience. This did not disappoint.
I adore her craft with language, the way her words and phrasing seem to dance not only on the tongue and ear but also in the mind. She is graceful and purposeful and strong without being showy. The fact that many of these works stemmed from writing exercises, ones that dictated structure or meter or theme, only served to make this former instructor's heart glow more deeply. I've long had a weakness for the beauty that can emerge from what others may see as 'restrictions'; the creativity and intention this asks is multiplied, and that shines forth even more brightly when the writer successfully rises to the occasion.
Two of my personal favorites:
Nine Lines, August 9
The gold of evening is closing,
drawing in, tightening.
The light is losing. It is
a little frightening
how fast August goes.
Others have noticed this.
The cat on his concealed switchblade toes
comes by, and what he says
is silent, but enlightening.
English
I love my native language
the lovely viola
the great advantage
a mouthful of pebbles
a welling of water
crashbangs faint echoes
the word if you can find it
for what it is and
what is beyond it
I adore her craft with language, the way her words and phrasing seem to dance not only on the tongue and ear but also in the mind. She is graceful and purposeful and strong without being showy. The fact that many of these works stemmed from writing exercises, ones that dictated structure or meter or theme, only served to make this former instructor's heart glow more deeply. I've long had a weakness for the beauty that can emerge from what others may see as 'restrictions'; the creativity and intention this asks is multiplied, and that shines forth even more brightly when the writer successfully rises to the occasion.
Two of my personal favorites:
Nine Lines, August 9
The gold of evening is closing,
drawing in, tightening.
The light is losing. It is
a little frightening
how fast August goes.
Others have noticed this.
The cat on his concealed switchblade toes
comes by, and what he says
is silent, but enlightening.
English
I love my native language
the lovely viola
the great advantage
a mouthful of pebbles
a welling of water
crashbangs faint echoes
the word if you can find it
for what it is and
what is beyond it
lanais's review
4.0
Having read only her prose, (and being a major fan) it was a treat to see how Le Guin's writing on nature, gender, mythology and philosophy translate to poetry.
emviolet's review
I don’t think I can really fairly give this book a rating. These poems weren’t for me, but I don’t think that means they were bad either. It’s just not the style or subject of poems that I typically enjoy. Lots of rhyme and some use of loose form, and a lot of landscape and shorter pieces.