false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173743557m/321607.jpg 321607 1 The short lyric poems in Larissa Szporluk's new collection, Isolato, search for meaning and beauty--for poetry--in an unpredictable and incomprehensible world. Their voices break from the contemporary preoccupation with autobiography, held together by language rather than a sustained narrative or plot. Yet the narrative fragments clearly evoke certain themes and moods: interaction of and struggle between the human and natural world; violence, particularly against women and children; alienation and betrayal; the mysteries of the universe, God, and death; and, of course, poetry itself. <P>Variously called a religious, a metaphysical, or a visionary poet, Szporluk has been compared to Emily Dickinson and George Herbert as well as to twentieth-century poets like Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, and Louise Glck. Her work is concise, experimental, and challenging. Language and syntax are often elusive, the logic that of dreams or music, the imagery mysterious. <P>The poems, once read, are not easily dismissed. Like the poet's "Deer Crossing the Sea," readers find "the promise of nectar / haunts them forever, the shore pecked out / of their eyes, and there, in its stead, / something greater to catch, / a scent that would paralyze God." 312324 15 3 2000 Isolato (Iowa Poetry Prize) total:62|5:31|4:19|3:9|2:3|1:0| 62 264 79 5 3 0 false false Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 22:14:57 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 22:17:57 -0700 2009
Otherwise, this is not my favorite Szporluk collection, though I still find her words intriguing.
]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 09:51:05 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 09:56:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jun 28 15:54:39 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 15:54:39 -0700 2007 Some good poems, but the book doesn't approach the quality of Dark Sky Question. ]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Sat Dec 22 11:34:50 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 22 11:35:33 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Mon Jul 02 21:16:52 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 02 21:17:36 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Mon Nov 23 21:53:44 -0800 2009 Thu Oct 29 18:06:35 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 18:06:35 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Sep 09 13:27:43 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 13:27:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 07 08:32:34 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 08:32:37 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Aug 14 11:51:37 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 11:51:43 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:40:18 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 00:40:18 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jul 24 02:13:44 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 02:13:44 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jun 18 12:51:13 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 12:51:13 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jun 17 13:09:18 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 13:09:18 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jun 05 13:23:10 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 13:23:10 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat May 02 23:43:30 -0700 2009 Sat May 02 23:43:30 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 06 12:33:57 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 12:34:01 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 22:45:39 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 22:45:39 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jan 28 09:52:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 09:52:00 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 18 05:18:40 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 05:18:40 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Dec 22 14:25:11 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 14:25:15 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=321607