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A review by nick_jenkins
The Branch Will Not Break: Poems by James Wright
5.0
One of the great books of American poetry. I don't know why it took me so long to make my way to James Wright, but don't make my mistake--read him today!
Wright is, not inaccurately, categorized as a pastoral poet, but what delighted me about so many of the poems in The Branch Will Not Break was the easy confluence of industrial, agricultural, and bucolic scenes and images. It provides an accurate and stirring vision of the way these different modes intertwine in the lives of Midwesterners, but it has been difficult for poets or novelists (and very difficult for historians) to capture.
Wright is, not inaccurately, categorized as a pastoral poet, but what delighted me about so many of the poems in The Branch Will Not Break was the easy confluence of industrial, agricultural, and bucolic scenes and images. It provides an accurate and stirring vision of the way these different modes intertwine in the lives of Midwesterners, but it has been difficult for poets or novelists (and very difficult for historians) to capture.