A driven immigrant father, an old poet, Isaac Babel in the authorfrom "FAILURE"
read full description
reviews
Jun 05, 2011
"And I'm not a poet: but never despair!
I'll madly live the poems I shall never write."
-Aldous Huxley
Consider me a poet manque.
Philip Schultz is one poet I think I understand, somehow. In Failure, through a collection of persistent poems, he takes on failure and its various, mainly human, iterations. Good poems, they heighten your senses, open them up like a dawn. Despairing, pained, ruined, lost, the voice in this collection tugs a More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 28, 2011
Jsavett1
rated it: 
It's safe to judge this book of poems by its cover. I laughed the second I opened the amazon.com box and saw it. How interesting to make the image on the cover of a poetry book one of its best metaphors? Failure is a mishammered, unrestorably bent nail. The reason this metaphor is apt enough to speak for the whole is that it perfectly matches the tone of Schultz's brilliant collection: it is simultaneously witty, creative, and starkly tragic. I have to admit: for the first five or so of Schultz'
More...
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 06, 2011
Philip
rated it:
A Killer and Authoritative Review, or “Our Current Dystopia”
First: thoughts on poetry criticisms:
After I read a book, and after I’ve written the review, I often go read the reviews of others who have read the book I just finished. I am surprised by the number of people who say, “I don’t know how to critique poetry,” or some such nonsense. They say it to devalue their own thoughts, ideas, and opinions and that troubles me. Who am I to critique poetry? More...
3 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Feb 01, 2011
Russ
rated it: 
A mixed bag of poems that won the Pulitzer recently. The strongest poems are in the middle. The first several poems are formulaic, where a detail mentioned in the first few lines returns at the end with a twist. The last poem is long--nearly 1/2 the book--and is interesting but uneven. The narrator is a dog walker (someone that people hire to walk their dogs) who lives in post 9-11 New York. The poem explores his troubled relationship with his father, other people, dogs, and himself. The p
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 25, 2011
Kaisa
rated it:
I'm not a huge fan of poetry since I don't really know the elements and structures of a good poem but I sort of liked this book.
The first parts were boring. And then those in the middle were just getting better and better and I would sometimes stop in the middle of the line and think to myself, wow. And that's frustrating. In a good way. And then there was this entire, uh, chapter of poems clumped into four parts and though some of them were really nice, it was mostly exhausting to rea More...
The first parts were boring. And then those in the middle were just getting better and better and I would sometimes stop in the middle of the line and think to myself, wow. And that's frustrating. In a good way. And then there was this entire, uh, chapter of poems clumped into four parts and though some of them were really nice, it was mostly exhausting to rea More...
Sep 30, 2009
Robert
rated it:
Philip Schultz, Failure (Harcourt, 2007)
I got about a third of the way through Failure then misplaced the book. Once I found it and started again, I found I liked it better, thus adding more evidence to my hypothesis that the current emotions of the reader affect what s/he feels about any given book. Which sounds like an optimistic beginning to this review, but I didn't like it that much better.
Narrative poetry is a tricky thing, especially given that poetry is where that More...
I got about a third of the way through Failure then misplaced the book. Once I found it and started again, I found I liked it better, thus adding more evidence to my hypothesis that the current emotions of the reader affect what s/he feels about any given book. Which sounds like an optimistic beginning to this review, but I didn't like it that much better.
Narrative poetry is a tricky thing, especially given that poetry is where that More...
Mar 04, 2011
Pamela
rated it: 
I really enjoyed the poems in this collection now that I am living on the East End. It was wonderful to see the sensibility of a family man, friend and poet such as Schultz. I especially liked the poems which discussed the themes of failure and loss in addition to the those directed at 9/11. This was particularly inspiring and heartfelt. Great collection. I highly recommend it.
Apr 16, 2010
I had a scalping moment with one of his poems and had to seek out his latest. His poems are quiet, with rather flat language, in free verse. Not much there upon first glance. But I find much of his work completely disarming. Anyone who loves poetry and dogs should check him out. He loves dogs.
Aug 31, 2011
Norman
rated it:
No. I will not tag this poetry book ini "sastra-america" (american literature) shelve because the poetries in here are really not influenced by american literature.
This is the most fiercest poetry book I've ever read and it's like I reread and reread and reread..
This is the most fiercest poetry book I've ever read and it's like I reread and reread and reread..
Jul 20, 2009
Jean
rated it:
Schultz brushes in reflections about his (dead) father throughout as he explores his own life. His dogs are also a major influence. At times quite powerful.
Jul 31, 2011
Betty
rated it:
Was on the prowl for something that drew me in and didn't let go. Schultz did just that with his deft turns of phrasing and emotional weight.
Jul 13, 2009
Steve
rated it:
This is a really wonderful collection. Contemplative and steeped in occlusion (the covering of one eye, so that the other may see).
Jul 01, 2011
Brian
rated it:
A mediocre poetry book overall, but has some real gems that help keep you chugging through the collection. Philip Schultz's Failure is mostly filled with autobiographical stories with dark tones that clearly came from the heart. However, even though Schultz pours his soul onto the page, I found the majority of the book dry and uninteresting. The root of the problem was that I could not relate to Schultz's experiences and interests. I think this book may be better suited for older adults that
More...
Aug 28, 2008
Peregrine
rated it:
I had heard an NPR segment with Philip Schultz and was immediately taken with his work - browsing in Barnes and Noble today I found this book and picked it up, flipping randomly to the poem "Grief". The next time you are in the bookstore, do this same thing - if it does not immediately tear at your heart and hit the rawest part of your senses, I will eat a dollar. Okay, not really, but it was so moving and beautiful - don't worry, it's only a few lines so you can handle it. Go on, t
Jul 20, 2008
Paula
rated it:
Not as depressing as one might think. Writes mainly about his father, dogs, and mental illness. The collection is short, as are most of the poems (except the last one, which takes up the length of about half of the book). Not formal poetry necessarily, but definitely structured (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Tone shifts slightly from poem to poem, but we can see where the main focus of the majority of poems lies. Good read for those with interest in Schultz's work.
Jul 22, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
Occasionally, I tired of reading the narratives, but the coexistence of pain and benevolence in his work is persuasive and the language honest, almost always unembellished. It's a good book for an essayist to read, as the poems frequently take the shape of essays and are nearly always governed by an authorial presence that reads very much like literary nonfiction.
Jun 22, 2008
Nan
rated it:
Alright, the language is pretty plain and maybe you have to be a nobody or a failure to navigate your way through this Pulitzer Prize winning book. I trust this poet's grief-worn voice. Schultz understands marriage, dogs, age, and what else? That you can't outrun the past, even when it's your father's past. And that the dead prefer our company to their own.
Sep 21, 2008
Evan
rated it:
This book won a Pulitzer? It has moments, especially in the last long poem which is all about dogs. Romanticizing dog-walking? Never been done, to my knowledge. Sprawling, indulgent poems that are sometimes utterly dumb and/or unbelievable (in a bad way). Still, it's worth thumbing around in if you like readable poetry.
May 07, 2010
Kim
rated it:
I can't even believe how good this collection is. It's good enough I almost started bawling in a hospital cafeteria reading it, and good enough to deserve the Pulitzer. Feels like getting punched in the face/stomach over and over again, and then kissed a few times for reassurance. Don't be an idiot. Just read this book.
Nov 13, 2008
Ryan
rated it:
I liked most of this. Great contemporary poet. The dog poems at the end kinda threw me off, i like dogs and all, but there are a lot of dog poems.
Aug 12, 2008
From "The Wandering Wingless," the longest poem about dogs: "Anyone who's ever owned one knows what owning love means."
Jan 14, 2008
Allen
rated it: 
THe title says it all. Not sure how this guy got all the kudos over his lifetime...
