Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
52nd out of 206 books
—
52 voters
The City in Which I Love You
by
Li-Young Lee
Contents
I.
Furious Versionis
II.
The Interrogation
This Hour And What Is Dead
Arise, Go Down
My Father, In Heaven, Is Reading Out Loud
For A New Citizen Of These United States
With Ruins
III.
This Room And Everything In It
The City In Which I Love You
IV.
The Waiting
A Story
Goodnight
You Must Sing
Here I Am
A Final Thing
V.
The Cleaving
I.
Furious Versionis
II.
The Interrogation
This Hour And What Is Dead
Arise, Go Down
My Father, In Heaven, Is Reading Out Loud
For A New Citizen Of These United States
With Ruins
III.
This Room And Everything In It
The City In Which I Love You
IV.
The Waiting
A Story
Goodnight
You Must Sing
Here I Am
A Final Thing
V.
The Cleaving
Paperback, 89 pages
Published
June 1st 1990
by BOA Editions Ltd.
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,124)
Because Rose is the first collection of poems by Li-Young Lee, it's only natural to assume that Lee's voice and stylistic preferences would undergo changes as he continued traveling the long road toward scholastic recognition; however, since Rose has gained considerable attention and become so frequently anthologized, Lee's sophomore attempt, The City in Which I Love You, is largely overshadowed. In fact, City seems almost pigeonholed by criticism for Rose, which spends much of its time explorin...more
There were two poems in this small collection I did not love and all the others I loved deeply, especially the title poem, 'A Final Thing', 'Goodnight', 'This Room and Everything in It', the first poem 'Furious Versions' and the final poem 'The Cleaving', which is a kind of hymn to a kind of face, a face like the poet's and maybe like mine:
I would devour this race to sing it,
this race that according to Emerson
managed to preserve to a hair
for three or four thousand years
the ugliest features in th...more
I would devour this race to sing it,
this race that according to Emerson
managed to preserve to a hair
for three or four thousand years
the ugliest features in th...more
Reading the Songs of Solomon made the title poem that much more beautiful, intense, lively. I started by dog-earing a handful of pages so I could re-read my favorite, but quikly undid that action due to all of the poems being so beautiful.
This is the second collection of Lee's poetry, and I didn't really care for it all that much. Of the collected poems, I had only read one of them before ("A Story"), and it seemed to be the standout in the book. That may be because I had seen it before and really liked it. I expected his poems to be similar in style--short, narrative, and symbolic. Lee's poems contains much symbolism here, but most of them are lyrical, not narrative, and many of them are just too long for my taste. I found mysel...more
The thing about reading this poetry is that you have to take seriously the things you usually don't want to take seriously. Things you don't want to talk about - like your soul.
All poetry is a little embarrassing, it's way too easy to make fun of. Reading poetry out loud only increases the embarrassment, which is why I like to do it, because it's like a test of forbearance. How much can you take? But if you ever listen to this guy read his own poetry it changes completely into something meaningf...more
All poetry is a little embarrassing, it's way too easy to make fun of. Reading poetry out loud only increases the embarrassment, which is why I like to do it, because it's like a test of forbearance. How much can you take? But if you ever listen to this guy read his own poetry it changes completely into something meaningf...more
This is one book of poetry I read almost religiously for many years. In fact when I lost my copy I hunted down another immediately. In it, Lee delves into the immigrant's experience of displacement, how that interrupts memory, complicated family bonds and creates a sort of hybrid identity that ensures neither country can ever truly be home. The title poem is amazing as well as the ones that explore his relationship with his father. I've definitely been inspired by his attention to detail that is...more
I don't usually read poetry for fun, but in celebration of National Poetry Month (April), I perused my Goodreads "poetry" shelf for something interesting. I can't remember where I first heard about Li-Young Lee's poetry. Maybe it was NPR's story on Lee's more recent poetry collection, Behind My Eyes. Maybe it was when Color Online featured The Interrogation as part of its Poetry Friday series.
Wherever I first heard about Lee, I'm glad that I did hear about him. Lee's poetry is evocative of the...more
Wherever I first heard about Lee, I'm glad that I did hear about him. Lee's poetry is evocative of the...more
This collection of poetry pretty much sums up Lee's beliefs in poetry, especially in lines like this from "The Room and Everything in It":
it had something to do
with death... it had something
to do with love.
In a guest lecture he gave more than seven years ago, Lee said that the only two subjects worthy of poetry are death and love, and this book encompasses poems that split those subjects pretty evenly, even by combining the two subjects into single poems. The book is divided into five sections,...more
it had something to do
with death... it had something
to do with love.
In a guest lecture he gave more than seven years ago, Lee said that the only two subjects worthy of poetry are death and love, and this book encompasses poems that split those subjects pretty evenly, even by combining the two subjects into single poems. The book is divided into five sections,...more
I am not a fan of poetry. In fact, I would say that I avidly avoid and disdain all such practices of poetry. If I could destroy one art form in the world it would be poetry. Having said that, however, this is a FANTASTIC read. This was assigned in my Contemporary Literature class and I was dreading it throughout the class until we got to it. I skimmed through it at first... and then it got good. The entire book of poetry tell a full story all together. It is an autobiography in poems. They are n...more
Li-Young Lee is one of my favorite contemporary poets. "The Cleaving" still gives me chills. I have written several poems modeling Lee's style. He exercises his use of form, imagery, and language all the while interweaving aspects of his life that have affected him. If this has taught me anything, it has taught me that the way a poem "looks" is just as meaningful as its content. It's also showed me ways I can incorporate my own history into my poems as well.
beautiful poetic voice.
Author was bon in Jakarta in 157.
Parents were Chinese. They had to escape bc his father had been a political prisoner under Pres. Sukarno.
They hopscotched their way to AMerica via Hon Kong, Macau, Janpan.
His poems are lyrical and narrative in nature. They express much beauty and sadness in the world via self & people's understanding of one another.
Author was bon in Jakarta in 157.
Parents were Chinese. They had to escape bc his father had been a political prisoner under Pres. Sukarno.
They hopscotched their way to AMerica via Hon Kong, Macau, Janpan.
His poems are lyrical and narrative in nature. They express much beauty and sadness in the world via self & people's understanding of one another.
took a while to finish this because didn't want it to end -- a meditative collection -- i fell in live with L.L.L. after reading persimmons and early in the morning -- written so humbly, yet so lush and vivid -- the recollections, bound together by trauma, silence, and a wavering memorialization that always doesn't wholly concretize. he's one of my favorite...
Not my favorite book of poems. It wasn't what I was expecting, but even more than that, there were times when I felt he could have used a better word or phrase to express himself, and without them, the verse sometimes fell flat. I did appreciate how his wove his Chinese heritage and urban experience throughout, though. Not sure I'd read this again soon, but a decent choice for spending a couple hours reading at the park.
The poetry in this slim volume invited me to look at the world through different eyes, and to write with my own native cadences. It was a pivotal book for me, which I read early in college. The poem I wrote to deliberately mimic the title poem somehow freed me from mimicking in future work.
I heard the author read from this work and I really connected with the sound and spirit of his writing. It's about identity, love, and paying homage to parents' past. A picturesque and loving look into tenderness of a relationship. Truly beautiful rhythms and words.
While I cannot honestly say that I loved every poem in this collection, I loved many of them far too much to give lower than 4 stars.
From Goodnight:
"We suffer each other to have each other awhile."
So many "simple" lines like this that ache with meaning.
From Goodnight:
"We suffer each other to have each other awhile."
So many "simple" lines like this that ache with meaning.
I am also lucky enough to have tickets to see him read in a few weeks! GO PORTLAND! Mary Oliver on Feb 5th, Li-Young Lee on Feb 20th, and Eavan Boland on March 4. Lucille Clifton shortly after in March. If anyone would like to come to Portland and attend one of these events let me know; you have a place to stay and you must buy tickets soon. I have my tickets but the event are all open seating. Except for Mary Oliver, sold out... of course. I imagine the other events will be sold out soon as wel...more
Some great poems here. Some contrived poems too. Eventually, the painful recalling of aspects of his childhood, and the over the top intensity of his romantic feelings, get tiring. It would be nice to see him break this up with some poems steeped in irony, humor, quirkiness, or all three.
But I'm not sure it's in him.
But I'm not sure it's in him.
I paid attention to Lee because of "The Cleaving". I decided to buy this book because of "This Room and Everything In It".
After having read it, those poems are the tips of the iceberg. This collection is awesome, both for the individual poems it contains and for the coherence of them all together.
Notable stops along the way:
Furious Versions
This Room and Everything In It
The City in Which I Love You
The Waiting
Goodnight- this one was a surprise hit with me. Hadn't heard of it before, but loved i...more
After having read it, those poems are the tips of the iceberg. This collection is awesome, both for the individual poems it contains and for the coherence of them all together.
Notable stops along the way:
Furious Versions
This Room and Everything In It
The City in Which I Love You
The Waiting
Goodnight- this one was a surprise hit with me. Hadn't heard of it before, but loved i...more
Li may love his city but I love Li. Sorry. Analysis. I met this guy when I was working on my Masters in Creative Writing up at CSUN. He's a great poet, but like most geniuses, he's not your typical person. He didn't say much at all. But I love the simplicity of his work. His imagery. The power comes through his love for family, his city (even though he’s Japanese, he grew up in Chicago), and the love for his family. Did I say family? As all great writers do, he presents an image, simple and clea...more
Lee gives his writing several dimensions of emotion and cultural experiences. His writing has the snug feeling of an overcast day seen from an atypical view.
My favorites from this one are This Room and Everything In It and The Waiting. Love Li Young Lee. Love him.
Probably my favorite book of poetry right now. Very powerful and entertaining and mind blowing.
he's a genius, i think. but the poems aren't for everybody.
A stunning poet capable of creating striking images.
Not as good as Rose but still worth reading.
Beautiful.
This is the way poetry should be written. This is the way we should all feel, should all speak, should all experience our existence. All of his poems have a sense of purpose and contain stories. They are mesmerizing.
Lee is overwhelming in person; he evokes imagination, spirit, passion. He commands his audience. He has an incredible sense of humor and he is warm and inviting, while being serene and contemplative. He kept my attention captivated.
Lee is overwhelming in person; he evokes imagination, spirit, passion. He commands his audience. He has an incredible sense of humor and he is warm and inviting, while being serene and contemplative. He kept my attention captivated.
I am not someone who reads poetry on a regular basis, but a friend of a friend has a degree in poetry so I asked her what I should check out. This was one of the books and she was correct about it being beautiful and textured.
Having nothing else to compare it to, and not being a literary critic with any skill or credentialed panache, I just have to say that I like it because, I like it.
Sometimes I think that is enough to go on.
Having nothing else to compare it to, and not being a literary critic with any skill or credentialed panache, I just have to say that I like it because, I like it.
Sometimes I think that is enough to go on.
Beautiful book exploring themes of immigration, war, family, and memory.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Li-Young Lee is an American poet. He was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Chinese parents. His great-grandfather was Yuan Shikai, China's first Republican President, who attempted to make himself emperor. Lee's father, who was a personal physician to Mao Zedong while in China, relocated his family to Indonesia, where he helped found Gamaliel University. His father was exiled and spent a year in an I...more
More about Li-Young Lee...
![Behind My Eyes [With CD]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348346957m/906943.jpg "Behind My Eyes [With CD]")
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“A bruise, blue
in the muscle, you
impinge upon me.
As bone hugs the ache home, so
I'm vexed to love you, your body
the shape of returns, your hair a torso
of light, your heat
I must have, your opening
I'd eat, each moment
of that soft-finned fruit,
inverted fountain in which I don't see me.”
—
18 people liked it
in the muscle, you
impinge upon me.
As bone hugs the ache home, so
I'm vexed to love you, your body
the shape of returns, your hair a torso
of light, your heat
I must have, your opening
I'd eat, each moment
of that soft-finned fruit,
inverted fountain in which I don't see me.”
“A door jumps
out from shadows,
then jumps away. This
is what I've come to find:
the back door, unlatched.
Tooled by insular wind, it
slams and slams
without meaning
to and without meaning.”
—
7 people liked it
More quotes…
out from shadows,
then jumps away. This
is what I've come to find:
the back door, unlatched.
Tooled by insular wind, it
slams and slams
without meaning
to and without meaning.”
um, and I love Li-Young Lee (just read "Eating Together" and "Eatiing Alone" to my freshmen). But I love _Rose_ the best.
Feb 02, 2008 06:02pm