Customer Reviews

Selected Poetry (Oxford World's Classics)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

In world literature, Pushkin dominates the early 19th century while Akhmatova takes up residences in the first half of the twentieth.

There are numerous other poets to consider and appreciate: Lermontov (19th century), Blok, Pasternak, Mandelstam and Tsetaeva (20th) but after them, it seems it gets a little complicated or if anything confusing. The greats have been established, lauded and loved. The closer we get to modern literature, the more chaotic it feels with so many names vying for the spotlight (and this goes for all nations with their share of writers and poets).

After reading Selected Poems (translated beautifully by Robin Milner-Gulland Peter Levi), I would have to say Yevgeny Yevtushenko belongs in the pantheon of Russian greats.

Yevtushenko was born in Siberia but came to prominence after Stalin's death in 1953. There is something ecstatic, majectic and carefree about his poetry and yet at the same time, it is tender and aware of the trials of the twentieth century. 'Zima Junction' simply cannot be read once. It is more a kaleidoscope of Yevtushenko's world and the world springing from his childhood. It is a journey through the past laden with nostalgia, philosophy, wonder and charisma.

The aforementioned poem is necessary to loving the poet's approach. The remainder of the volume is made up of shorter poems, many of them smaller versions or off-shoots of 'Zima Junction'. Not to say the poet is repeating himself but the concerns that erupt in the epic poem echo throughout the book. History and family is important to Yevtunshenko and his family have key roles in 'Weddings' and 'On a Bicycle'.

After 'Zima Junction', the second most important poem is 'Babiy Yar' which focuses on the Nazi mass-murder of Kiev Jews.

I gladly give this book five stars though I do have one sensible complaint: I wish there were more poems. A poet this fascinating deserves a larger collection. This mean showcase of poems only whets my appetite. I guess I'll have to reread 'Zima Junction' a few more times before a more comprehensive volume of Yevtushenko's work is available.

My only comment... if you like this author, look up his poem "Lies". It's one of my favorites!
Otherwise, nice collection.

When I first started reading this collection, I thought that eighteenth century poetry was dry and inferior to later forms of literature, especially when compared with the innovations of the twentieth century. After delving deeply into some of Pope's major poems, I realized how wrong I was. Pope's wit was astounding, and he was a true poetic genius in his ability to capture concepts and arguments in beautifully rendered images and metaphors. His abilities are best summarized in these famous lines from his "Essay on Criticism": "True wit is nature to advantage dressed, / What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed."

I was often surprised by Pope's ability to articulate ideas that had occurred to me, but I was never able to articulate myself. It is a testament to Pope's insight into the human condition that his lines still ring true three hundred years since their first appearance. The subtle, complex ideas found in his poetry will expand your thoughts in ways you never though possible, especially if you have never experienced poetry from this period before.

For me, some of the highlights from this collection are "The Rape of the Lock", a beautifully detailed mock-epic steeped in the material culture of the eighteenth century; "Windsor Forest", a topographical poem that encodes and critiques the history of England in a description of its landscape; "Epistle to Burlington", a stinging criticism of "false taste"; and "Eloisa to Abelard", an emotionally wrenching letter of tragic medieval romance. For those interested in the writing and critiquing of literature (admittedly, not everyone), the brilliant "Essay on Criticism" will be the standout piece here, with its vast complexities and beautiful imagery. Furthermore, the detailed notes in the back of this edition should fill you in on any historical or literary references that will assist in your interpretation of the poems.

This edition is an amazing introduction to the poetry of one of the greatest writers in the English language, and a good first step into a fascinating period of literature. Don't be afraid! Read this book!

Step aside Byron, Dryden, and Shelley Words are not enough to describe the great pope, I have read the works of many poets but none come close to Pope. Practically self educated he puts words in such a way and with such wit, that you often feel and say "That is so true, so beautifully described"........ take a minute and contemplate on the below. A great Master
1. Some in search of wisdom, lose their common sense and then turn critics in their own defense.
2. Men deal with their life as children with their play, who first misuse then cast their toys away.
3. Launch not beyond your depth but be discreet , and mark the point were sense and dulness meet.
4. A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong which is but saying, in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

This was concurrently, my introduction to Russian poetry and the poetry of Yevgeny Yevtushenko back in my early 20's. The simple prose style of the translations was appealing to a 20 year old. But since then, many of the poems have become touchstones for my own receeding youth and my Slavic family heritage. The lengthy opening poem, "Zima Junction", tells of Yevteshenko's own youthful days growing up in a small town in Siberia. The final poem, "People", affirms the spirituality of life without a single reference to religion. "Encounter" describes a chance encounter of Yevtushenko with Hemingway in Copenhagen. ("It was the very image of Hemingway. Later I heard that it was Hemingway.") "Babiy Yar" is perhaps, the most famous poem in the collection. It describes the slaughter of Russian Jews by the Nazis and the collusion of the antisemite Soviet regime. The last few lines of this poem are some of the most moving I have ever read.
"No Jewish blood runs among my blood,
but I am as bitterly and hardily hated by every anti-semite as if I were a Jew. By this I am a Russian."