Always Now: The Collected Poems, Vol. 3 (The Collected Poems of Margaret Avison) [Paperback]

Margaret Avison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0889842612 | ISBN-13: 978-0889842618 | Edition: First

Since childhood Margaret Avison has written poetry and published it. Always Now: The Collected Poems (three volumes), stretches from the 1930s to the twenty-first century, through Winter Sun in 1960 and Concrete and Wild Carrot in 2002 (winners, respectively, of the Governor-General's Award and the Griffin Prize for Poetry) to nineteen new poems selected for inclusion here.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`The language of these poems is lively and energetic, her observations searching, as if she is ever on the lookout for new insights as she contemplates the city's streets and parks, and the changing seasons.... Even with an impressive body of work behind her, Margaret Avison's mind is on new beginnings.'

(Barbara Carey Toronto Star )

`The first two volumes of this remarkable poet of the spirit's collected poems were duly celebrated in these pages. This third one deserves equal praise.'

(Globe & Mail )

`Avison writes a searching religious poetry in precise and concrete language, firmly anchored in the physical as she contemplates the spiritual. ... Her work reveals a freshness out of her own vivid exploration of ideology and image. Her idiosyncratic voice is steady, exacting, and speaks to a lifetime of work. Always Now, Vol. 3 is a clear bell of a book from one of Canada's most important poets.'

(Allison Sivak Canadian Book Review Annual )

`The project represents a lifetime's work, completed by a woman for whom paying attention has become a habit of being. The bright or dingy corners of a city, nature in its infinite variety, human experience of all kinds, and Divine activity have all engaged her keen eye and lively mind. Her thorough scrutinies are informed by knowledge of history, western literature and science, and illumined by faith.'

(Sarah Klassen Prairie Fire )

`It is also hard to contest Avison's ability to find great poems while searching through the demands of everyday life. [...] Margaret Avison rules now -- and always.'

(James Reaney London Free Press )

`Margaret Avison is a national treasure. For many decades she has forged a way to write, against the grain, some of the most humane, sweet and profound poetry of our time.'

(Griffin Prize Judges' Citation )

Review

`Margaret Avison is the best poet we have had.... ``Searching and Sounding'' and the poem that rimes with it, ``The Dumbfounding,'' are not likely to be bettered by any work that any poet will ever publish.'

(Poet Laureate George Bowering )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Porcupine's Quill; First edition (February 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0889842612
• ISBN-13: 978-0889842618
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,435,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)