Customer Reviews

Wild Reckoning

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Wild Reckoning is, as far as I know, the best anthology of ecopoetry available in English. Ostensibly "provoked by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring," the collection is a tribute to the enviropnmental awareness of poets for more than four-hundred years. Superb contemporary poems by Philip Larkin, Mary Oliver, Robert Frost and Seamus Heaney stand beside older works,often no less ecologically insightful, by John Clare, Robert Burns, Thomas Hardy, and Andrew Marvell. The editors' care in ordering creates astonishing conversations between the poems, even those written centuries apart. The alert and grieving spirit of Rachel Carson inhabits and informs this anthology. I've taught from it for many years now, and it continues to relinquish new delights. A marvelous arm-chair book, as well as a splendid text for students at all levels, Wild Reckoning is a treasure.

I really enjoyed this anthology, but I must admit, some of their choices were a bit out of the ordinary, and some were downright illogical, and even offensive. As a student of literature, I have come across many of these texts before, but I have never seen such a poor translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" before, nor do I understand why the editors thought it would enrich the text. Overall, ignoring the few texts like the aforementioned which stand out, the text provides a wonderful insight into the goal and mission that Rachel Carson first desired to bring forth in her "Silent Spring". If you are a lover of poetry, and of the world around you, then you should consider adding this to your library. If not, then don't bother.