Reviews

Once in the West: Poems by Christian Wiman

mattshervheim's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.75

I might have a new favorite living poet.

brizreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Melancholy, spare, unexpectedly religious. Really nice.

spacejamz's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

4.5 stars
Favorites:
Tell Me
Rust
Black Diamond
We Lived
Rest Home
Love’s Last
Under the heavened
My Stop is Grand
Wartime Train
Self-Portrait, with Preacher, Pain, and Snow
The River
Coming into the Kingdom
Between
Varieties of Quiet
What rest in faith
Something us suffering touches

kgawesome5's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I’m speechless

theconorhilton's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I don't read much contemporary poetry, but if this is any indication of the beauty that is out there I definitely should start. Wiman's poems are evocative and emotional and spiritual and sometimes I can't quite place my finger on why, but I feel something powerful. There's at moments a welding of the crass and vulgar with the sacred that might strike some as insensitive (or blasphemous), but that signaled a grounded, complex spirituality to me. There's a lot here to dig into more fully and I'm excited to do that.

elianachow's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Wow. Wow. Hands down, Wiman is my new favorite contemporary poet.

jbracken's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Written during a time when the author was on the brink of death, these poems spoke to me about rot, decay, beauty, and the hope of the infinite.

Isn’t this gorgeous?
“His little religion
of common things
uncommonly loved
served him well.
Especially in hell.”

readordierachel's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Clearly a talented poet, but these poems didn't crawl inside me and take up residence the way some others do.

dbj's review

Go to review page

5.0

Beautiful and sad. One of my favorite writers.
More...