Flame Tree: Selected Poems [Paperback]

Kevin Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2003

Kevin Hart's poems have been hailed as among the best being written today. He is a visionary writer. His poetry is dual in nature and inspiration, embracing the pain and passion of humanity at the same time as it evokes the immanence of God in the world. It is both radiant and grounded, sensuous and searching, casting both light and shadow on what can be named while tracing the borderlines of what must be left unnamed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kevin Hart is one of the finest poets writing in English today. I admire his erudition and his imagination, the way history, art, myth, literature and many things come together in his poetry. This book will be a feast for those who want poetry to be both metaphysics and song. An absolutely original and indispensable poet. --Charles Simic

Review

The most outstanding Australian poet of his generation...One of the major living poets in the English language...Kevin Hart is an erudite poet, but converts his learning into passion. He is a visionary of desire and its limits.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd (April 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185224545X
• ISBN-13: 978-1852245450
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,335,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensual, searching, reverent and memorable, July 19, 2011

By 

S. Mcinerney - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flame Tree: Selected Poems (Paperback)

Kevin Hart's selected poems brings together work by one of Australia's most readable poets. Hart's poetry is identifiably Australian - particularly when evoking the city of Brisbane where the poet grew up - yet it is utterly original, unlike the work of any other Australian poet. Auden said that a poet's hope is to be, "like a valley cheese, local, but prized elsewhere", and Hart has had this hope realized, drawing acclaim from the hugely influential Harold Bloom and Charles Simic, among others, who have argued that Hart is one of the major voices in modern poetry. Distinguished by its recurring attempts to participate in the mystery to which it points - the mystery of love, of God, and of 'the other' in its myriad manifestations - this body of work is sensual, searching, reverent and memorable. Whether 'watching sunlight in the trees / Or listening to the beat of the gull's wings", whether "whispering her name" or "undressing words", Hart always approaches his subjects with the attention to detail that characterizes the most generous spirits.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect overview of Kevin Hart's poetry, August 13, 2011

By 

Lara - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flame Tree: Selected Poems (Paperback)

There is something so subtle and soft about Kevin Hart's poetry. From the outset I found this poet immensely readable. With his typical clarity, each sentence is simply and beautifully crafted. Particularly important is the evolution of style as the book spans from 1975 to 2000. Do not be sidetracked by his theological letters- the spirituality in Flame Tree lingers among the sensual. These poems speak plainly of lovers among thoughts of god. The realisation of the two in the final chapters is particularly stunning, and the closing poem 'Prayer' speaks as equally to romance as the spirit.

3 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Schlock, January 26, 2008

By 

Hector - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flame Tree: Selected Poems (Paperback)

(...). Pomposity, obscurantism and superficiality plague his work. His technique is inferior, his imagery tired and riddled with cliche. His use of the English language is wearisome and barbarous. His poems are dreadful, embarrassing schlock. Don't waste your time or your money.