The primary question in reviewing _The H.D. Book_ is, who is this book for?
For fans and students H.D.? Of course. _The H.D. Book_ is obviously firstly about H.D., particularly her _Trilogy_, though Duncan spends much time also on other works. _Palimpsest_ is an important part of his thinking. So also _Ion_, _Helen in Egypt_ and her earlier verse (that found in the _Collected Poems: 1912-1944). His familiarity with her works is encompassing. Mostly, though, _The H.D. Book_ focuses on _Trilogy_, and Duncan offers across his text a broad and personal reading of the book. One that is not argued to the exclusion of other readings, which is a great positive to the presentation. But also one that at times may feel too personal, which can be to the negative. It is a minor negative, though.
The book is not, though, solely an extended reading of H.D.’s works. It is equally an extended engagement with H.D.’s thought, taking the works as an evolving whole. In that Duncan, through this, creates an interwoven narrative across H.D.’s published works, I can see the work begin of some value to H.D. scholars, professional or amateur.
For fans and students of Duncan? Obviously. Every argument or observation he makes about H.D. is by extension argument and observation to his own explorations in poetry. Though, all such are indirect. Don’t expect overt explication on his own writings, there is none (or there are only brief moments). What there is, however, is the voice and style of Duncan. And people who enjoy his verse and his critical writings will assuredly find familiar voice in _The H.D. Book_
For general fans and students of poetry in general? Perhaps. H.D.’s work is the primary subject. If you are unfamiliar with her work, particularly _Trilogy_ and the collected verse, this book may not offer a terribly fruitful read. (Though, I myself am wholly unfamiliar with _Palimpsest_, one of the major sources, and I had little difficult following Duncan’s arguments as regarding it.) But the book is not limitedly an explication on H.D. It is also discourse on poetry: not in the sense of mere verse but in that of capital-P Poetry, poetry in its highest form, Poetry, as he writes it, of “the second order.” Even without knowing H.D.’s work to any depth I can see the first part of this volume being of value to anyone in serious study of literature qua literature (not everything H.D. wrote was in verse). In no small way, _The H.D. Book_ is a defense of the genius of H.D., and that defense is worked by arguing also what is the genius of Poetry per se.
As well, in no small way that defense is made by showing her place within the narrative of high modernism. Much of the joy of the book lies in Duncan’s weaving of the ideas, explorations, and works of H.D., Pound, Eliot, Joyce, Williams, Lawrence, Woolf, and others into vibrant, inter-engaged tapestry.
However, _The H.D. Book_ is an uneven and divided book. It is constituted of two parts. (Though, this edition includes the early drafts to an unwritten third part.) The first part, the first two hundred pages of text, is six chapters of discussion on H.D., on Poetry, on art, on the psychology of art, and on the relationship between Poetry/art and occult (hermetic, esoteric) thinking. This first part I highly recommend to all students of literature qua literature, Modernism, and Poetry.
The second part,though, offers difficulties. It is written in the style of a Day book, of entries in a journal, of “chapters” written increasingly in the manner of writing down whatever came to Duncan’s mind as it came to his mind, without correction, condensation, or organization. (He overtly gives himself permission for this at one point.) Unfortunately, because of it there are long swaths of the text (including entire chapters) that do not cohere, that seem to be flailing around a topic rather than exploring it or bringing it into discourse, indeed, that seem to have entirely forgotten about the reader. Like the worst of Duncan’s verse, it gives the impression that while Duncan might have had a cental, centripal idea in his head, there is no such guidance in the text – except at superficial levels – as presented. For it the text often seemed to me far too difficult and tedious a read – especially for how abstract it can get without any thought out grounding – for what it offers. Though, there are sections within or between these swaths that are worth the finding, like his short discussion on Marianne Moore and the later discussion of Laura Riding and Robert Graves. And when he does become focused, the text is as worth the reading as any other part. By chapter 8 of the second part, though, I had given myself permission to abandon any attempts at heavy concentration and half skimmed the text, looking for those places where the presentation cohered into a more honest and invitational discourse.
For this I am at odds in recommending the book. Yes, I wholly recommend it for Part One, for the opening chapters of Part Two, and for the moments that one finds throughout the rest. I give the book four stars because of how interesting and worth-the-while these parts of the book are. But I would not recommend the book to be bought by someone who has no familiarity with the book and who simply thinks it might be interesting. Thirty-odd dollars new (for a paperback) is a lot to spend on what becomes something of a largely idiosyncratic text.
As such, I highly recommend looking up _The H.D. Book_ online (there is a version of it available at the CCCA Canadian Art Database), or getting your hands on a copy via a library before deciding whether you need or truly want a copy of your own.
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