Selected Poems 1938-68 [Paperback]

John Berryman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Faber Finds M/D (January 1, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571097669
• ISBN-13: 978-0571097661
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,270,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A VOICE!, August 25, 2003

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Selected Poems 1938-68 (Paperback)

John Berryman himself compiled this selection from his published poetry, to serve as both an introduction to his work and a summary of his poetic career. The book consists of five sections, with poems from The Dispossessed (1948), His Thought Made Pockets (1958), Berryman's Sonnets (952, 1967), Homage To Mistress Bradstreet (1953) and The Dream Songs (1964, 1968). My favorite poems come mostly from The Dispossessed. These include The Moon And The Night And The Men with its chilling end line: "and the war goes on, and the moon in the breast of man is cold" and the two songs: The Song Of The Demented Priest and The Song Of The Tortured Girl. The latter appears to be about a girl undergoing electroshock therapy and also contains images about camping out in a mountain pass, with the mention of a winter when the young men stayed away. For some reason, this reminds me of John Cale's song Ski Patrol from his album Slow Dazzle - it has the same poignant feel, only in John Cale's song the ski patrol does come around to make sure everyone's alright. From Berryman's Sonnets, I love most Number 34 which starts out like a conversation between a man and his wife but develops into a chilling vision of the holiest of holies in Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. Strange and powerful indeed. John Berryman, Anne Sexton and Robert Lowell are my favorite poets in any language, for their evocative imagery and their rhythmic, flowing lines.