Diving Into The Wreck: Poems 1971-1972 (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"It is hard to overestimate the importance of Rich's work in the landscape of contemporary poetry and in the writing of women's experience and lesbian experience," notes LJ reviewer Christian.
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Review

Diving into the Wreck is one of those rare books that force you to decide not just what you think of it, but what you think about yourself. It is a book that takes risks, and forces the reader to take them also. . . . You feel about her best images, her best myths, that nobody else writes quite like this. (Margaret Atwood - New York Times Book Review )

The poet is telling of something now standing before her eyes of which her heart is full. . . . These poems are not loose facts, they are parts of a revelation. (Richard Howard - Harper's )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (August 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393311635
• ISBN-13: 978-0393311631
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #307,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my favorite single volume of poetry, May 6, 2001

By	"gabecca" (University of Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

Adrienne Rich is one of America's best poets, and this is certainly her best collection. To use the word "angst" to describe these poems (as a previous reviewer did) is to diminish these works of volcanic beauty. This collection reads very well as an organic whole, but some of the best individual poems are "Incipience," "The Stranger," and, of course, the title poem. Common themes of awakening and discovery run through this book; I wish that every women would read these poems. Rich finally shakes free of the masculine poetic establishment and rejects male mythology as she writes:

A man is asleep in the next room/ We are his dreams/ We have the heads and breasts of women/ the bodes of birds of prey/ Sometimes we turn into silver serpents

Rich dives into the wreck and comes out transformed. Don't miss this opportunity to explore your own wreck.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite poet, February 6, 2007

By	Rebecca J. Maxwell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Adrienne Rich's poetry (and her prose as well) speak with the feminine voice and touch the feminine soul.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Years of Angst and Resolution, October 22, 2000

By	Judith M Wallace (Bluff, Utah) - See all my reviews

The poems that are included in this book are particulary noteworthy for their angst. Rich weaves words into powerful images that portray her stuggle as a woman, a lover, and as a human being.

This collection of poems was written during the early years (1971-72) of her career as a poet. Although the imagery and voice are understandably not as clearly defined as in her recent work, this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in the development of poetic voice and style.