Philip Levine's New Selected Poems (1984) by adding to it a generous choice of major from each of the two volumes that followed it... read full description
reviews
Oct 19, 2011
Peycho
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In ‘New and Selected Poems’, readers will find a real master craftsman at work. His language is conservative and seems simple at first, but when the poem blossoms we are all the more surprised and excited because of it. This book is a gem to read and contains a story, making it as hard to put down as your favorite novel. Philip Levine works on so many levels and can be enjoyed by anyone. He is one of America’s great narrative poets. His plainspoken lyricism has, for half a century, championed th
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Mar 11, 2008
Steven
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The almost twenty years of poetry spanned in Philip Levine’s “New Selected Poems” is a rare study of how a mostly singular theme can be explored with unique rigor and care at each stage. All of Levine’s collections represented here contain ruminations on the struggle between physical labor and intellectual stimulus and how this dichotomy parallels the human struggle between faith and faithlessness. Levine’s poems traverse the country, from the industrial wastelands of the Detroit car comp
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Sep 29, 2011
John
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Our current poet laureate. Levine's poems derive in large part from his experience growing up in working class Detroit. Many of them describe experiences of poverty, or seemingly mundane experiences of working or being with family. The poems seem simple and accessible, even if you're not a poetry reader, there's a lot here to appreciate. But the poems are also densely crafted and reward re-reading and thinking. Good stuff.
Jan 22, 2008
Jill
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If you like William Carlos Williams, you'll probably like this writer. He takes risks in the words he uses, and stays unafraid as he works thru so much emotion (good & bad), and failure. I suppose I needed to read this book at the dawn of a new year. This is one of many books on my son's shelves. Amazing.
Dec 17, 2009
Steel
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Great accessible poetry from my favorite living poet. Even if you don't like (or get) poetry, you should like this book. Levine employs very simple prose diction but does it very very well to produce what I consider some of the most humane, honest, sincere poetry of the post-WWII years. Read these poems.
Nov 15, 2007
Mike
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If you get only two books of poetry in your life, make this the second (Plath's Collected is first). Levine is the quintessential 20th Century working class poet. He's got a beautiful voice and sort of calls himself an anarchist. You'll even find some Spanish Civil War poems in here.
Sep 27, 2007
Robert
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Click here: [http://www.robertpeake.com/archives/306-Philip-Levine-and-The-Honest-Need.html]
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