Customer Reviews

The Weather of Words: Poetic Inventions

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Though Strand has been widely regarded as a notable poet for over thirty years, this book--which comes hot on the heels of his Pulitzer Prize in poetry--is his first collection of essays. Actually, there are other kinds of prose here as well, including two prose poems on the topics of translation and narrative poetry (reprinted from his 1990 book THE CONTINUOUS LIFE) and a story revolving around the conflicts between public life and poetic sensibility. All three are humorous, as are several of the essays: Strand has always oscillated between pure gravitas and a kind of serious humor. Like the best such collections, THE WEATHER OF WORDS not only illuminates Strand's own poetic practice, but also offers insights into poetry that readers unfamiliar with his work will find valuable. An example is his discussion of the villanelle form--how it turns out to be the "safest" kind of poem in which to talk about loss. Particular standouts here are "A Poet's Alphabet," which opens the book, and Strand's introduction to THE BEST AMERICAN POETRY 1991.

This book was highly recommended to me, but I thought it was pretty low-level, eclectic, impressionistic, juvenile, an over-all dissappointing. If you're looking for something like Aristotle's Poetics, you will be dissappointed too. If you like a patchwork quilt of emotive, faux elitery, then you will find your reflection in this book.

this book is a great picture of poetry by one of america's best living poets. funny, touching, and above all, poetic, strand's new book is definitely worthwhile to anyone interested in poetry.

Very superficial: a good book if you like superficiality.