The Daily Mirror (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: New York, John Ashbery

Editorial Reviews

Review

...as frisky, as potent and as readable as any poetry volume that's come down the pike in a while. -- The New York Times Book Review, Dwight Garner

David Lehman's THE DAILY MIRROR: A JOURNAL OF POETRY captures an immense world that re flects varied vistas. It is by an abiding motion of clarity, of modern flux in these poe ms that we are carried into journey. THE DAILY MIRROR reads like a sped-up meditation on the elemental stuff that we're made of: in this honed matrix of seeing, what's commonpla ce becomes the focus of extraordinary glimpses when these everyday images are juxtaposed into a mental geography made engaging by gazing into the daily mirror. The seemingly ran domness of daily life accrues into a shaped and insightful surety." -- Yusef Komunyakaa

I admit to being wildly envious of David Lehman's book. Imagine! A poem a day, and r eally good, charming, personal poems too! Only the late William Stafford even came close to this accomplishment. Every place and person he mentions is given a boost towards lit erary immortality. -- Carolyn Kizer

Mark Strand I can think of no book of poems written in recent years that is nearly so entertaining as The Daily Mirror. It is the work of a quick mind unflustered by the Big Apple. Its wit is dazzling, its charm constant, its immediacy refreshing. It is, quite simply, a terrific read. -- Review

Review

Billy CollinsCatullus said never a day without a line, but David Lehman has raised the stakes to a poem a day. The result is The Daily Mirror, a lively calendar of the life of a poet -- daily improvisations that are entertaining, touching, and always bubbling with the fizz of contemporary life.

James TateThe Daily Mirror is a spirited, poetic romp through the days -- sexy, energetic, jazzy, and just plain fun. Lehman has made this "daily poem" idea very much his own. This book is bursting with life. It's an irresistible force.

Yusef KomunyakaaThe Daily Mirror reads like a sped-up meditation on the elemental stuff that we're made of: in this honed matrix of seeing, what's commonplace becomes the focus of extraordinary glimpses when these everyday images are juxtaposed into a mental geography made engaging by gazing into the daily mirror.

Carolyn KizerI admit to being wildly envious of David Lehman's book. Imagine! A poem a day, and really good, charming, personal poems, too! Only the late William Stafford even came close to this accomplishment. Every place and person Lehman mentions is given a boost toward literary immortality.

Mark StrandI can think of no book of poems written in recent years that is nearly so entertaining as The Daily Mirror. It is the work of a quick mind unflustered by the Big Apple. Its wit is dazzling, its charm constant, its immediacy refreshing. It is, quite simply, a terrific read.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Scribner Paper Fiction (January 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684864932
• ISBN-13: 978-0684864938
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #683,111 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic!, December 14, 1999

By	Rachel Barenblat "Velveteen Rabbi" (Williamstown, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am not surprised that "The Daily Mirror" is fantastic. I have yet to meet a poem by David Lehman that I don't like.

That being said, I'm still deeply pleased by how much I like this book. These poems are so full of joie de vivre that every time I read one I find myself smiling.

The poems in "The Daily Mirror" are terrific in part because of their immediacy. As daily poems they comprise a kind of poetic journal; they are crafted out of the everyday. What's great is that they also transcend the mundane; they're made of ordinary stuff, but they're *poems*, with the heightened consciousness and precise language that poems require.

These poems are witty and intelligent and creative and funny and sad. I recommend them highly.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poem A Day, May 17, 2000

By	Lewis Saul (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews

A magnificent collection of poems -- each one a shiny little jewel! The world comes alive through date references, NYC locales, and the fertile imagination of David Lehman! Who do YOU see in the Daily Mirror?

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Universal Found in the Verse of Particulars, December 19, 1999

By	"no_spaces_or_special" (Townsend, MA USA) - See all my reviews

The Daily Mirror is David Lehman's writing at its finest. So many of the poems move as water falling and turning, fluid and full of surprise. His sense of the poetic line and his innovative use punctuation (almost none) blossom into moments that hold and propel the reader. He uses the timing of poetry in concord with the pace of a life moving and moved by people, images, and ideas. The world of particulars in his verse captures a time (our time) that the reader will want to return to again and again. These poems read like a treasure hunt that never ends. Everyone will have their favorite day in this book of daily poems.