A review by linzer712
How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch

3.0

At times too long winded and wordy for its own good, this not-really-a-"how to book"-at-all is an interesting mixture of analysis and meditation on the power and complexities of poetry as a whole and especially the individual poems that Hirsch pulls apart on many levels. The poems he selected are not commonly anthologized and few are contemporary. They range from ancient Greece to Eastern European to South American with touches of Auden and a bit of Dickinson, Whitman, and Stevens added at the end. This book is not so much for the beginner but better for those who already have an appreciation for poetry and the patience to travel along with Hirsch's thoughtful and passionate readings.