On the Great Atlantic Rainway: Selected Poems 1950-1988 [Paperback]

Kenneth Koch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1996

On the Great Atlantic Railway is Kenneth's Koch's inspired collection of 32 years of work. Koch, David Lehman said in The American Poetry Review, is "a masterly innovator . . . who has used his extravagant powers of wit and invention to enlarge the sphere of the poetic . . . he has stretched our ideas of what it is possible to do in poetry."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This selection of poems by Koch (Seasons on Earth) is a thoroughly enjoyable assortment of work (including a few unpublished poems from the '50s). Koch's imagination is at once philosophical and fiercely whimsical; his digressions are always clever. Lines from "Fresh Air" capture the frustrations felt by his generation of writers in the '50s and '60s: "Where are young poets in America, they are trembling in publishing houses and universities,/ Above all they are/ trembling in universities, they are bathing the library steps with their spit/ They are gargling out innocuous (to whom?) poems about maple trees and their children... Oh what worms they are! They wish to perfect their form." Also featured are excerpts from longer poetical works, most notably "The Art of Poetry," detailing 10 rules to be observed before a poet "releases" a poem into "the purview of others" (the seventh: "Is there any unwanted awkwardness, cheap effects... or other literary, 'kiss-me-I'm-poetic' junk?"). At times, one could read Koch's playfulness as a "cheap effect," yet that would be unfair. For another Koch poetic directive is to be "young in one's heart." Whether writing with virtuoso skill in ottava rima, blank verse or free verse, Koch practices what he preaches.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Act Ii, Scene 3
Act Iii, Scene 8
Alive For An Instant
The Art Of Poetry
The Artist
An Atmosphere Of Heavy, Intense (summer) Stillness
Aus Einer Kindheit
Bertha
The Boiling Water
The Brassiere Factory
The Bricks
The Burning Mystery Of Anna In 1951
The Circus
The Circus (ii)
Collected Poems
Collecting Coat-hangers
The Congo And Zaire. River
Days And Nights
The Departure From Hydra
Desire For Spring
Down At The Docks
En L'an Trentiesme De Mon Eage
Equal To You
Farm's Thoughts
The Four Atlantics
Fresh Air
From 1
From 4
Geography
Girl And Baby Florist Sidewalk Pram Nineteen Seventy ...
The Green Step
Guinevere Or The Death Of The Kangaroo
Hearing
In Bed
In Love With You
Lunch
Ma Provence
The Magic Of Numbers
Mary Magdalene's Song
Not Feeling Ready
On The Edge
On The Great Atlantic Rainway
One Night In Venice, Near The Grand Canal
Our Hearts
Pericles
Permanently
The Pleasures Of Peace
Poem
Pregnancy
The Railway Stationery
Seasons On Earth
Sleeping With Women
Some General Instructions
Spices
Spring
Summery Weather
Sun Out
Thank You
To Marina
To You
The Tomb Of Alexander
University Of Japan
Variations On A Theme By William Carlos Williams
West Wind
Where Am I Kenneth?
With Janice
Wittgenstein, Or Bravo, Dr. Wittgenstein!
You Were Wearing
Your Fun Is A Snob
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder® --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (October 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679765824
• ISBN-13: 978-0679765820
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #675,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "And something like air I love you Marina", January 24, 2004

By 

EriKa "E" (Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Great Atlantic Rainway: Selected Poems, 1950-1988 (Hardcover)

When one takes the time to read Koch's poetry in depth, it is an incomparable experience. The first time I read "To Marina", which is arguably my favorite of all poems, I was drawn in. I can read it again and again, constantly analyzing but at the same time feeling (and feeling deeply) the poem. Despite the number of times I have read "To Marina" each reading touches me anew and at times can move me to tears.

While one cannot put limits on creative expression, I was a bit put off by the fact that many of Koch's poems are several pages long and often his imagery strikes me as repetitive (although, in fairness, it is used differently).

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Less than words can say, July 1, 1998

By 

David P. Ryan (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Great Atlantic Rainway: Selected Poems, 1950-1988 (Hardcover)

Koch, when at his best, is simply too large and various to be adequately accounted for in this space. In the wasteland of contemporary poetry, those unfamiliar with Koch's genius may think he is exactly the kind of poet he so brilliantly parodies. For serious readers saddened by the predominant makeup of contemporary poetic demeanor, Koch is the perfect remedy.