The Poetry of Solitude: A Tribute to Edward Hopper (Hardcover)

~ Gail Levin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Hopper's lushly rendered, enigmatic paintings are studies in solitude and the emotions that state can arouse. Hopper scholar Levin, author of the revelatory Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography , has long recognized the poetics and implied narratives of Hopper's provocative paintings, as have a number of admiring poets. In this beautiful and thoughtful little volume, color reproductions of Hopper's paintings are matched with the poems they've inspired. This juxtaposition works well as word and image play in stirring counterpoint. The workings of the poets' minds seem somehow more revealed than usual as the object of their scrutiny is so readily at hand, while the rich nuances of Hopper's haunting compositions are intensified as the reader-viewer compares his or her own interpretations with those of the poets. Levin has collected poems by John Updike, Lawrence Raab, Stephen Dunn, John Hollander, Joyce Carol Oates, Edward Hirsch, Grace Schulman, and Sue Standing, among others, to accompany a set of now classic Hopper paintings. Donna Seaman

Product Description

This unprecedented volume unites for the first time the extraordinary paintings of twentieth-century artist Edward Hopper and the poems that his works inspired. The wide range of poets whose writings pay tribute to this great artist:

William Carpenter
Anne Babson Carter
Stephen Dunn
W.R. Elton
Edward Hirsch
John Hollander
Larry Levis
Robert Mezey
Lisel Mueller
Joyce Carol Oates
Toney Quagliano
Lawrence Raab
David Ray
Anthony Rudolf
Ira Sadoff
Grace Schulman
Sue Standing
John Updike
Samuel Yellen

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Universe (March 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789300176
• ISBN-13: 978-0789300171
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,690 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, August 7, 2002

By	John Truslow (Atlanta, Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am neither a poet, nor a visual artist, so I will provide for you the layman's review: I find this book to be a charming text, based on a very good idea (ask writers to create poetry inspired by the Hopper paintings reproduced herein). Like all books of poetry, I'm quite sure that - like me - you will find that some of the poetry speaks to you, and some of it does not, but you will find all of it to be of a very high quality. Likewise, one of the aspects I enjoy most about this book is the quality of the reproductions, which, perhaps because of the book's rather small physical size, shows off the richness and clarity of Hopper's work better than most other books that present his oils. I have given this book as a gift twice now, and the recipients have been very impressed...