The Hammered Dulcimer: poems by Lisa Williams (May Swenson Poetry Award Series) [Hardcover]

Lisa Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998 | Series: May Swenson Poetry Award Series

Williams is a poet of unique vision who always seems to be "looking at," with special attention to the experience of the senses. It is perhaps this quality of attention that informs her interest in the formulations of poetry itself, in its constructed dimension. Her control of the line, of rhythmic possibilities, of structures both formal and free, is evident in every poem.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lisa Williams isn't easy on the reader or herself. But what a dark, steady, lyric voice she has. What poetry!" -- Poetry Annual --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

The 1998 winner of the May Swenson Poetry Award.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Utah State Univ Pr; First edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874212499
• ISBN-13: 978-0874212495
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,989,821 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 Read for yourself - a remarkable debut, October 13, 2005

By 

Customer (Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hammered Dulcimer: poems by Lisa Williams (May Swenson Poetry Award Series) (Hardcover)

My only complaint is that Ms. Williams has not put out another book of poetry since this fine collection, the winner of the May Swenson Award for a first-timer. Other readers seem to view her work as trite over-workshopped craftsmanship; it is precisely the qualities that they deride that make Ms. Williams' work stand out from the rest attempting to practice their craft today. Rather than becoming self-absorbed with the thought of oneself as a "poet" while sinking headfirst into a miasma of hackneyed cliches, Ms. Williams explores the world of culture and ideas while at the same time offering exceptional style and imagery. I was a contemporary of Ms. Williams' at UVA, though as a literary critic and not as a writer -- and have heard her read several times. She is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive readers of poetry I have heard, perhaps only eclipsed by W.D. Snodgrass and Derek Walcott. Judge for yourself -- if you are a student or lover of poetry, it is definitely worth you time to read this collection, and it should be available at almost any major university library.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sublime and urbane, October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hammered Dulcimer: poems by Lisa Williams (May Swenson Poetry Award Series) (Hardcover)

I remain startled by this collection of poems. The introduction by John Hollander, and the jacket blurb by Harold Bloom, compare the author's work to that of Wallace Stevens and Elizabeth Bishop. At moments, I also hear the presence of Emily Dickenson. Like them, Lisa Williams is a wildly inventive rhetorician--quirky, idiosyncratic, philosophical, and intense. She frequently attempts the sublime, but never embarrases herself, because she is a disciplined artist with a complex and mature vision. Within a line, she will modulate from the awesome to the amusing and back again. I would like to recommend two poems in particular, which represent the variety of this collection: the longer narrative "Description in Parts" and the strange and beautiful ballad, "Yellow Bird"--a moving homage to the poet John Clare.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Debut!, October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hammered Dulcimer: poems by Lisa Williams (May Swenson Poetry Award Series) (Hardcover)

The Hammered Dulcimer offers not only music and vision, but a formal luminosity and an utterly seductive intelligence. If there was once a gap between sensuality and thought, between image and idea, that wound has now been healed. I'd recommend this volume to anyone interested in the absolute best of what's being written by America's youngest generation of poets.