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corymackenziegray's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
fjerda's review
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I adore the writers natural tone, and he communicates so vividly and with such innate passion. I especially like the anecdotal asides he wanders through. Academically if was very accessible which I have a lot of respect for. A lovely little book!
awwsunshine's review
4.0
I, too, dislike it.
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers in
it, after all, a place for the genuine.
Very interesting insight on poetry and people's general dislike for it. Highly recommend it.
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers in
it, after all, a place for the genuine.
Very interesting insight on poetry and people's general dislike for it. Highly recommend it.
zoolmcg's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
I've been aware of Lerner's thoughts on his own writing after watching a few interviews with him, and I liked how this essay built on those observations I'd already heard to form a really nice and diverse piece of writing. He presents the ideas that much of society holds towards poetry, agreeing and disagreeing with many of the reasons behind them, and in doing so, calls on his own experiences as well as the writings of others.
There were many moments in this that made me smile, a lot of them being the very 'human' reflections he gives to language usage and putting words down on a page. I think what I liked the most were his retrospectives on education and specific teachers he had in his life who shaped his desire to express his art. As a person who has loved my literature teachers across my life, I can relate heavily to many of the ear-worms they instil - phrases that'll never leave your head no matter what.
I also enjoyed the breadth of people he mentioned, especially the sections focusing on Plato and Whitman. These were nice and in depth, with great analysis on their ideas and expressions I hadn't considered myself before.
I'd recommend this to anyone familiar with Lerner looking for a nice brief read that gets meta with poetry. I'm going to be revisiting this to look deeper into what these observations say about Lerner's poetry specifically, but already just on this first read I can say it was a pleasure to read.
There were many moments in this that made me smile, a lot of them being the very 'human' reflections he gives to language usage and putting words down on a page. I think what I liked the most were his retrospectives on education and specific teachers he had in his life who shaped his desire to express his art. As a person who has loved my literature teachers across my life, I can relate heavily to many of the ear-worms they instil - phrases that'll never leave your head no matter what.
I also enjoyed the breadth of people he mentioned, especially the sections focusing on Plato and Whitman. These were nice and in depth, with great analysis on their ideas and expressions I hadn't considered myself before.
I'd recommend this to anyone familiar with Lerner looking for a nice brief read that gets meta with poetry. I'm going to be revisiting this to look deeper into what these observations say about Lerner's poetry specifically, but already just on this first read I can say it was a pleasure to read.
readbymoony's review
4.0
bardzo fajne, autor żartobliwym językiem omawia „nienawiść” do poezji, wchodzi w teorię i przywołuje najlepszych (i najgorszych) poetów. ma trochę tendencję spadkową, bo gdzieś po Keatsie, koło omawiania Rankine autor odbiega od pierwotnej tezy i się trochę ona zaczyna rozjeżdżać. ale jednak lektura fajna.
jonathanvdh's review against another edition
5.0
Nog eens herlezen. Blijkt zowaar nog beter dan ik in eerst instantie vermoedde. Weet iemand een manier waarop ik deze tekst in mijn brein kan laten graveren, zodat ik altijd iets paraat heb om te citeren. Dank u.
'Dichters zijn leugenaars, niet omdat ze ons, zoals Socrates zei, kunnen belazeren door de kracht van hun nabootsingen, maar omdat je suggereert, als je jezelf dichter noemt, dat je de bittere logica van het poëtische principe kunt overwinnen, terwijl je dat helemaal niet kunt. Je kan alleen gedichten schrijven die, als ze met volkomen minachting worden gelezen, een ruimte vrijmaken voor het authentieke Gedicht dat nooit verschijnt.'
'Dichters zijn leugenaars, niet omdat ze ons, zoals Socrates zei, kunnen belazeren door de kracht van hun nabootsingen, maar omdat je suggereert, als je jezelf dichter noemt, dat je de bittere logica van het poëtische principe kunt overwinnen, terwijl je dat helemaal niet kunt. Je kan alleen gedichten schrijven die, als ze met volkomen minachting worden gelezen, een ruimte vrijmaken voor het authentieke Gedicht dat nooit verschijnt.'