false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172510338m/181946.jpg 181946 9 The title of Seamus Heaney's first collection of poetry since winning the Nobel Prize in 1995 is the term used in Ireland for a carpenter's level, an earthy physical allusion to matters of spirit that is quintessential Heaney. And indeed this volume deals masterfully with the finding of a level balancing point in ethical, moral, and spiritual affairs. Heaney has famously likened his craft to the farming activities of his childhood, comparing his pen to his father's spade; here he extends that analogy, comparing the lines of a poem to furrows being plowed in the earth, and "the poem as ploughshare that turns time/ Up and over." Heaney's furrows are straight and clean, his loamy lines abundantly fertile. 1270402 1996 The Spirit Level total:139|5:46|4:73|3:16|2:3|1:1| 139 577 189 10 4 0 false false Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 15 17:13:41 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 17:13:41 -0800 2008
Heaney really knows how to end a poem: he never wastes your time. Every poem in this little volume is good and worth thinking about. Heaney has remarkable powers of description, but he never uses ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 14:21:07 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 14:23:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 18:44:35 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 18:50:29 -0800 2008 Death of a Naturalist, Heaney brings his father into the poems. But here, it's unclear how he works in, especially considering the middle poems centered around the ret...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Thu Aug 16 12:08:27 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 16 12:10:26 -0700 2007
I know...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 25 19:15:37 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 25 19:21:31 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 09 11:27:52 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 09 11:31:39 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 09:40:10 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 01 09:41:14 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Sep 23 10:30:27 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 25 22:07:06 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 10:30:27 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Apr 30 10:16:33 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 10:17:13 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 21 10:09:07 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 12:36:58 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue Nov 17 13:59:29 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 13:59:29 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Nov 13 11:04:45 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 18:43:56 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Nov 06 17:26:57 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 17:26:57 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Nov 14 07:11:07 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 06:41:17 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 06:41:17 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Oct 30 19:49:45 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 30 19:49:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 04:03:46 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 04:03:46 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Sep 28 12:31:28 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 12:31:28 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Sep 18 12:44:36 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 12:44:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Sep 18 12:12:46 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 12:12:46 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Sep 11 14:51:40 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 14:51:40 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=181946