Customer Reviews

Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, despite the strange title and the morose cover art, please buy this book. It has been a long time since I've had so many strangers ask me what I was reading with such concern in their voices -- the last time was when I was reading How We Die. Perhaps the publishers should have considered some modifications when releasing the book in the US. This is a very good anthology of contemporary (early 20th century to the right-now present) poetry. I have been delighted to discover many poems that have struck me as memorable from poetry readings and programs such as Poetry Daily and The Writer's Almanac under one cover. And I like the way the poems are grouped by theme, then paired by image within the thematic groups. This is sustained over 450-odd pages, which makes the book a very rich meal indeed. I'm assuming, from the essay at the end "The Sound of Poetry" and the following Glossary of poetical terms, that this is intended to supplant some Norton Anthology like thing in the first year college curriculum. The glossary, incidentally, is fun to read as a sort of second essay, since it refers back to the contents of the book for its authority.

Of course I'm prejudiced toward this book, since it includes some of my favorite poems: Billy Collins' "Forgetfulness," "The Dead," and "Undressing Emily Dickinson" for starters. The collection moves on to introduce work that is now on the must -read -to -friends list: "Lady of Miracles" by Nina Cassian, "Muse" by Jo Shapcott and
"In My Country" by Jackie Kay. 500 poems to chose from, each section generously edited for reading pleasure so the book itself has its own rhythm. A great gift for graduation, Mother's Day, a romantic moment, or for your father who introduced you to reading in the first place.

"Staying Alive" offers a wonderful anthology of moving poems that inspire. It is a perfect introduction for those not familiar with contemporary poetry, not willing to invest in dozens of author centered books to find some jewels, yet still wanting to hear fresh vibrancy in our language. Many of the poems are real beauties, and I think Neil Astley has done a wonderful job as editor. It is divided into thematic sections, and has breif commentaries on many of the poems, and a useful glossary as well. It may not be for poetry scholars, but it is not intended for them. It is intended for the common masses, and for us I have seen none its equal. It has shown me that there is much value in modern poetry, and it has given me already many inner smiles. It would make a perfect gift for the poetically inclined in your family- I know I will send one soon.

I'd consider myself a pretty avid poetry enthusiast: read poetry journals, grew up with poetry, have several beloved poets whose work I know in its entirety. I've never found a better poetry collection than this one. Neil Astley includes the poets you know from English class and want to see (Frost, Auden, Ginsberg) and then hundreds of others that even serious readers of poetry might not know.

The sections are great: "My People" and "In and Out of Love" are two that I turn to the most frequently and am always enlightened, edified, and delighted by. There are 500 great poems in this book. It has been a comfort to me. I can't recommend it highly enough.

It's a collection of poems. It's a GREAT collection of poems. Probably one of the best. It can be likened to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, but I think packs more punch. It touches every aspect of life and no one is exempt. A must read!

These may not be the particular poems another anthology would include, because the aim of this book is not to be a Poetry 101 primer, but to collect the types of poems that punch you in the gut. Pick one at random and it will hit a nerve. One of the single best anthologies I have ever purchased, it's a keeper.

So many anthologies seem to have something stilted, or overly academic, or author-centric about them. This one shares only a sense of urgency in its topics and the poems themselves. A gorgeous collection; I've loved what I've read. The epigraph by Kafka is powerful and describes the book perfectly: "One should only read books which bite and sting one. If the book we are reading does not wake us up with a blow to the head, what is the point in reading? A book must be the axe which smashes the frozen sea within us."

It truly hits right where you never wanted anything to hit. The poems make you think about exactly why you live and what makes you keep going. It doesn't settle for anything less than making you really think deeply about yourself. I gave it five stars because this book is truly one that everyone should buy... or at least read.

I purchased this anthology a year ago for my own pleasure and read it cover-to-cover with much enjoyment. If you like contemporary poetry, this is the place to find one of the best assortments of chiefly American and British work. There are also some excellent translations of Pablo Neruda and contemporary European poets. The editor, Neil Astley,has organized the collection around themes. He's found poems that speak to each other in interesting ways. For example, Louise Gluck's "Mirror Image" is followed by Sylvia Plath's "Mirror." You will find yourself tuning into the conversation among the poems. I liked the book so much I'm using it this fall in a course I'm teaching.

Although there are good poems in here, and good authors, Astley is intent on dumbing down poetry - this book aims for the lowest common denominator possible, and then digs deeper. Astley's commentary and rants are opinionated and condescending. Poetry is far more alive and interesting than than this anthology suggests.