Daily Horoscope [Paperback]

Dana Gioia (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gioia's work has been appearing in the best journals for some time, so it is rather surprising that it has taken this businessman/poet so long to put togeth er his first collection. Daily Horoscope is an auspicious beginning, certain to receive close attention and high praise. The 47 poems include opposing views of "California Hills in August" and bit tersweet memories of "Cruising With the Beachboys." The title poem's se quence, full of horoscopic injunctions and sensible advice, states the obvious in altogether unusual ways. "One/ more summer gone,/ and one way or another you survive,/ dull or regretful, never learning that/ nothing is hidden in the obvious changes of the world." A collection worth coming back to. J. Patrick Lewis, Integrative Studies Dept., Otterbein Coll., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Daily Horoscope is a stunning first book . . . Gioia is a master of forms. He experiments with old ones, and in a few instances has taken to inventing new ones."--Robert Phillips, Arrival

"Page for page, seldom has a first collection offered so many aesthetically, psychologically, and philosophically satisfying poems."--ALA Booklist

"In combining the powers of form and narration, Dana Gioia is the poet who most fully realizes the potential of the New Formalist movement."--Robert McPhillips, The Sewanee Review

"Daily Horoscope, in the finest sense, represents the perfect synthesis of maker and object made. It would be specious to praise this volume as a first book. Gioia has given us a book that is more accomplished than recent publications by many more celebrated practitioners."--Robert McDowell, The Hudson Review

"Here we have a truly exceptional poet. In his mid-thirties, Dana Gioia can be compared to Wallace Stevens and not be routed by the comparison."--Raymond Nelson, Virginia Quarterly Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Graywolf Press (March 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915308800
• ISBN-13: 978-0915308804
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #664,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars gioia lives up to his reputation, June 17, 2001

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[e-mail] "[e-mail]" (Beaumont, tx USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Daily Horoscope (Paperback)

when reading gioia's first collection, you can't help but wonder if he is overrated. he is one of the most celebrated of the new formalists, and one of the leaders of the movement. you hear over and over how good he is. he is the writer of the "can poetry matter" essay. and, since he is outside the world of academia, you can't help but to think of other poets outside the academic world (wallace stevens and william carlos williams come to mind immediately). so you wonder if the guy is overrated. he's not. he writes formal verse beautifully. he has good control over the meter and line. "The Room Upstairs", easily one of the best poems in the collection, and my personal favorite, shows gioia's skill as a poet. i look forward to reading the other collections i have.