The Art Of Drowning (Pitt Poetry Series)
by Billy Collins
published
June 29th 1995
by University of Pittsburgh Press
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binding
Hardcover, 112 pages
isbn
0822938936
(isbn13: 9780822938934)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 472)
Read in November, 2007
recommended to Karen by:
Johnrecommends it for: modern poetry fans
Occasionally I like to read some poetry. I like the word play and the pictures the words convey. Billy Collins, US Poet Laureate, writes in a way that is understandable about modern life. His poem "Man in Space" rang true to snapshots of experiences I've witnessed over the years. Loved his description of dawn. "But tomorrow dawn will come the way I piture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor. She will look ...more
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recommends it for:
fans of poetry
I'm about as unqualified to comment on poetry as a person can be. I don't read a lot of it, and I find the habitual need for cracking almost any book and reading aloud from said book displayed by most poetry fans to be... perturbing at times. Nevertheless, I found Billy Collins surprisingly easy to read and enjoyable. His poems were refreshingly free of the pretentiousness I (admittedly in my ignorance) ordinarily associate with poetry ...more
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2 comments
Read in January, 2001
recommends it for:
everyone
Billy Collins is, hands-down, the best poet in America at this time. I am never disapointed in his work. I was first introduced to Billy in college (literarly, he came to do a reading at my school) and I've been in love ever since. Even if you aren't a fan of poetry, you will find something in Collins' work to love. He writes beautiful, witty and surprizing poems.
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I don't think you can beat listening to Billy Collins, but reading him is almost as good. This book contains my favorite of his poems:Consolation. If you are a traveler and have ever had to stay home instead of leaving, you will love this piece. It's hilarious and impossible not to relate with.
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If you haven't read poetry by Billy Collins, stop what you're doing, sit down with a cup of tea (hot or iced...both are appropriate), and let yourself be carried away. Flawless, dreamy, sigh-inducing. I especially love "Consolation."
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Not every single poem spoke to me but many, many of them did, and the writing style of this amazing man enchanted me throughout the book! It's short and the poems I loved were certainly ones which scream to be read over and over again!
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Lmj by:
previous
I love Billy Collins. His poetry is so easy to read. He looks at normal, everyday things and takes us on the most incredible, unexpected journey within a few lines. This book includes my favorite Billy Collins poem - Thesaurus.
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Read in January, 1998
(It's been awhile.) I remember hearing him read his work on MPR, thinking I'd never heard anything quite like it before, but wanted more...some pieces lived up to my expectations, some did not.
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I know he's the former Poet Laureate of the United States, but I just can't get into his work. There are one or two that are clever, but none that really speak to me on an emotional level.
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Billy Collins' work is written in the vernacular. His poetry is simple and direct and without artifice. I highly recommend these poems as a daily meditation on life in the 21st century.
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Read in September, 2008
I'm a big Billy Collins fan -- if you haven't checked him out, I highly recommend you do. I liked Picnic, Lightning a little better, but there are some great poems here, too.
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My favorite of all Collins' collections. Every one of these poems has something that makes it a favorite of mine, in some way or other.
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Read in December, 2004
Can anyone write poetry as accessible yet as gut-wrenchingly beautiful as Billy Collins? I'd venture to say a resounding no.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
poetry lovers
I'm reading a poem every morning, and every day I've been amazed at the way Collins pays attention. He's fabulous.
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Read in May, 2004
I like Billy Collins' work a lot. The poem, "The Art of Drowning," is, in my view, the best in this collection.
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Well - y'all know I just LOVE Billy - and his poem. "The Invention of the Saxophone" is exquisite...
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Funny and beautiful poetry.
I guess this is why Billy Collins is the US Poet Laureat.
I guess this is why Billy Collins is the US Poet Laureat.
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recommended to Roberta by:
npr interview on terry gross
recommends it for: everyone
recommends it for: everyone
Poems about looking at art in the Met and about eating osso buco; vernacular spectacular.
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I relate to many of his poems in a personal way.
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