Customer Reviews

William Carlos Williams: Selected Poems (American Poets Project)

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

 

 

First of all, I'm shocked that I am the first person to review this book, which was released a few months ago. I'm no poetry "expert," though I do know what I like, and I like this guy. But where is everybody? I thought this volume, as well as others in the American Poets Project, would have received more attention. Especially William Carlos Williams, a voice like no other, intoxicating in a way that Whitman is, but a more modern voice, more syncopated. And there is the same love of the world around him, mostly simple, sometimes broken things. No doubt, he is one of the main voices of the 20th century and he well deserves his place in the pantheon.

If you have never read W.C. Williams, this is a great place to start. If you have, this volume is a beautifully presented distillation of his work and will be sure to offer some new revelations.

If you haven't read Williams and need a place to start, this is a great beginning. Pinsky has a keen eye for Williams, and selects the freshest and most involving poems. Glancing through the reviews for all of the Poets Project books, I'm surprised little has been said about the book. For a small book it has a tough binding, but more importantly the print is easy to read--making it enjoyable to thumb (I find it difficult to read more than a handful of good poems without a break).

So much depends on this selection of WCW's work... it seems to me better than the other selection in my possession, the Penguin edition from the 80s. This one is beautifully designed and sized. I'm not familiar enough with the entire opus to really know whether this selection is definitive; certainly none of my favourites are absent. Small quibbles: something about the type makes poems sharing a page look like uneasy bedfellows but I don't know if this is avoidable. Also the glue inside the front flypaper is visible and I'm not sure will stand the test of time as well as the poems have. Overall though, a very pleasing volume.

William Carlos Williams: Selected Poems (American Poets Project)

As stated in another one of my reviews, every single Library of America volume I've ever purchased (including volumes from the American Poets Project) have been of the highest quality, superbly executed and just plain beautiful.

Already possessing several volumes of William Carlos Williams work, I purchased this compact, delightful volume as a gift for my oldest son (who shares my appreciation for both great literature generally, and poetry specifically). Upon its arrival (delayed, once again, by amazon's ridiculously slow delivery) I was more than pleased, and felt proud to be presenting my son with such a first rate representation of W.C.W.'s work.

This was an excellent purchase!!! The book came in good time, and it is an excellent book. I would recommend it for others interested in poetry!!!