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20th out of 29 books
—
4 voters
The Simple Truth
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1995
Written in a voice that moves between elegy and prayer, The Simple Truth contains thirty-three poems whose aim is to weave a complex tapestry of myth, history (both public and private), family, memory, and invention in a search for truths so basic and universal they often escape us all....more
Written in a voice that moves between elegy and prayer, The Simple Truth contains thirty-three poems whose aim is to weave a complex tapestry of myth, history (both public and private), family, memory, and invention in a search for truths so basic and universal they often escape us all....more
Paperback, 80 pages
Published
September 3rd 1996
by Knopf
(first published 1994)
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This 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning volume by the great American poet Philip Levine deserves its heady accolades. Harold Bloom wrote at the time of its release: "I wonder if any American poet since Walt Whitman himself has written elegies this consistently magnificent. The controlled pathos of every poem in the volume is immense, and gives me a new sense of Levine." Plain and exalted, the experience of reading this collection is as rich as reading a great novel. Some highlights:
from "The Poem of Ch...more
from "The Poem of Ch...more
This Pulitzer Prize (1995) winning book is the work of a seasoned poet. He is so skilled at lyric narrative; I reread this book for it's infinite layers. There are many elegies in this book.
In a poem titled The Poem of Chalk he writes, "He knew/the whole history of chalk, not only/of this particular piece, but also/the chalk with which I wrote/my name the day they welcomed/me back to school after the death/of my father. He knew feldspar,/he knew calcium, oyster shells, he/knew what creatures had...more
In a poem titled The Poem of Chalk he writes, "He knew/the whole history of chalk, not only/of this particular piece, but also/the chalk with which I wrote/my name the day they welcomed/me back to school after the death/of my father. He knew feldspar,/he knew calcium, oyster shells, he/knew what creatures had...more
I'm not a huge poetry reader, but as my Library was hosting the Poet Laureate in a web event I thought I would take the opportunity to read some of his poetry beforehand as this book just happened across my desk. I'm so glad I did. I understand now why they call Philip Levin the Working Man's Poet. His poetry is down to earth and approachable, with everyday themes and words that make the reader feel at home, even welcomed into the pages. I am a fan.
This collection is a powerful book of poetry that is also beautiful, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking. If you are a fan of narrative style poetry and you haven't checked out Levine, you should do so now. Highly recommended and quite evident why it won the Pulitzer.
This was just ok. I'll have to read it again...at first go I noticed a tone of extreme resignation which bored me despite all of the nice imagery.
Masterful. Strips down life to its bare essentials and elevates simplicity. Calming read yet still stirs the soul. Great stuff.
Grit meets grace in the poems of Philip Levine, who conveys the pathos of working-class life as ably as he does the peace of a cool summer sunset.
Amazing!I could read, reread, and read these poems again and again and again to truly savor their power and meaning.
Lovely verse but didn't speak to me like What Work Is.
Looking forward to reading more of Levine's work.
Looking forward to reading more of Levine's work.
Title poem by itself is easily worth 5 stars. It is really, really great. The rest of the collection is mostly just good. But hey, good isn't bad.
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Levine's Pulitzer Prize winner is a beautiful collection. I read it first in the 90s and it holds up as I re-read it today.
"It is onions or potatoes, a pinch
of simple salt, the wealth of melting butter, it is obvious,
it stays in the back of your throat like a truth
you never uttered because the time was always wrong,
it stays there for the rest of your life, unspoken,
made of that dirt we call earth, the metal we call salt,
in a form we have no words for, and you live on it."
of simple salt, the wealth of melting butter, it is obvious,
it stays in the back of your throat like a truth
you never uttered because the time was always wrong,
it stays there for the rest of your life, unspoken,
made of that dirt we call earth, the metal we call salt,
in a form we have no words for, and you live on it."
Philip Levine’s Pulitzer Prize winning book of poetry, The Simple Truth, takes the reader on a journey through the ins and outs of life, death and everything in between. Some of the poems had such a haunting lyricism that one at times felt entangled within the words.
I read a lot of poetry, and Levine is one of my favorite contemporaries. The older I get (though I'm not that old), the more I prefer the longer line. The title poem in this collection is exquisite, but the poem titled "Listen Carefully," is breathtaking.
I enjoyed this collection, and if you like Levine, it is worth your time. However, for me, it did not have the power of his best work (What Work Is).
Some of the poems I liked best in this book include "Llanto"; "In the Dark"; "Getting There"; "The Simple Truth"; and my favorite, "The Poem of Chalk."
blue collar poetry from the heart, What Work Is, is my favorite collection of his, but this title came to mind first. In the vein of raymond carver.
These poems are quiet and simple, wonderful to read lying in a hammock or sitting in a recliner when one can sit with them and let them sink in.
I think I'll need to re-read this at some point. The simple language didn't stick to my throat the way I like poetry to.
I really enjoyed Levine simple yet evocative style. His imagery and deeply personal poems make for a great read.
I really adore Levine but this isn't one of my fav's of his.
Jun 15, 2013
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Jun 13, 2013
Christina Jenkins
is currently reading it
Jun 04, 2013
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marked it as to-read
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Philip Levine (b. January 10, 1928, Detroit, Michigan) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet best known for his poems about working-class Detroit. He taught for over thirty years at the English Department of California State University, Fresno and held teaching positions at other universities as well. He is appointed to serve as the Poet Laureate of the United States for 2011–2012.
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