Bittersweet Along the Expressway : Poems of Long Island [Paperback]

Norbert Krapf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Divided into 4 sections, BITTERSWEET has an overall narrative design. The 81 poems tell the story of the author's move to Long Island from a German community in the Midwest; settling in with his Cajun wife in the historic village of Roslyn, where poet William Cullen Bryant lived at his Cedarmere estate; the coming of their two Colombian infants in the early 80s; and participating in their growth and development. Woven throughout the poems is a love of gardening and Long Island natural history. Walt Whitman and William Cullen Bryant figure prominently in the collection. There are also tributes to poets Richard Wilbur, William Stafford, James Wright,and David Ignatow. The cover is a 1932 woodcut of Roslyn by Henry R. Diamond, a friend of Christopher Morley.

With "Somewhere in Southern Indiana" (1993) and "Blue-Eyed Grass: Poems of Germany" (1997), "Bittersweet" completes a trilogy about places that have inspired the author to write poetry

Editorial Reviews

Review

...an intensive attempt at self-definition--in a genealogical as well as geographic, in a personal as well as universal perspective... -- World Literature Today

About the Author

Norbert Krapf was born in Jasper, Indiana, a German community, in 1943 and is the author or editor of 17 volumes, including the poetry trade editions "Somewhere in Southern Indiana: Poems of Midwestern Origins" (1993) and "Blue-Eyed Grass: Poems of Germany" (1997). These two volumes and the new "Bittersweet Along the Expressway: Poems of Long Island" (2000) form a trilogy about places. Krapf has also edited a volume of writings by contemporary American poets about William Cullen Bryant, "Under Open Sky: Poets on William Cullen Bryant" (1986) and "Finding the Grain: Pioneer German Journals and Letters from Dubois County, Indiana" (1996). He is the editor/translator of "Shadows on the Sundial: Selected Early Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke" (1990) and "Beneath the Cherry Sapling: Legends from Franconia" (1988). The Director of the C. W. Post Poetry Center of Long Island University, where he has taught since 1970, he won the 1999 Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. He has been a Fulbright Professor of American Poetry at the Universities of Freiburg and Erlangen/Nuremberg in Germany and holds the Ph.D. in English and American literature from the University of Notre Dame

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Waterline Books (September 1, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0962849286
• ISBN-13: 978-0962849282
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,364,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful work!, September 3, 2000

By 

Robert J. Shea (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bittersweet Along the Expressway : Poems of Long Island (Paperback)

I'm happy to add another title to my growing collection of works by Norbert Krapf. Whether he's describing the colors of a flower, the heat of a summer's day, the noise on the street, or the movement of his emotions as he writes about family and home, I'm always drawn into the images he creates and am further moved by his ability to speak profoundly yet with beautiful simplicity, clarity, and economy. His poems are approachable for all readers and will be enjoyed and savored for their honesty, directness, and, above all, for the life that breathes out of every page.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Norbert Krapf Collection, September 2, 2000

By 

Cynthia Erbes (N. Tonawanda, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bittersweet Along the Expressway : Poems of Long Island (Paperback)

Norbert Krapf is one of the few contemporary poets whose poetry uses sound and imagery to weave a magic spell around mature, insightful content. His exploration of the relationships of humanity to nature, to heritage, to tradition, to ourselves is but part of his genius. His poetry does what good poetry should always do -- sing. Whether the form is a narrative, like the wonderfully evocative poem "A Union Veteran from Indiana Recalls Visiting with Walt Whitman in a Washington Hospital" or a short poem comprised of couplets, like "Gatsby Country," the form grows from the content. As a long time fan of Norbert Krapf's work, and editor of ELF: Eclectic Literary Forum, I believe every lover of poetry will find this volume of poetry well worth reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a treasure!, August 28, 2000

By 

cjl8 (State College, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bittersweet Along the Expressway : Poems of Long Island (Paperback)

Like Norbert Krapf's other books of poetry, this one too is a treasure! The poems in his newest book evoke beautiful images of Long Island, but they are also so much more than that. They tell a story, not only of the place after which the book is named, but also the author's story of his experiences in that place and of his family. Krapf has the incredible ability to turn ordinary things and events of life into the most extraordinary through the use of his words. You will want to read these poems again and again, and each time, you will revel in the beauty of their simplicity. This is truly a stunning book!