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2nd out of 23 books
—
6 voters
Horoscopes for the Dead
WINNER—BEST POETRY—GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
NEWSWEEK/THE DAILY BEAST
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Billy Collins is widely acknowledged as a prominent player at the table of modern American poetry. And in this new collection, Horoscopes for the Dead, the verbal gifts that earned him the title “America’s most popular poet” are on full display. T...more
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
NEWSWEEK/THE DAILY BEAST
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Billy Collins is widely acknowledged as a prominent player at the table of modern American poetry. And in this new collection, Horoscopes for the Dead, the verbal gifts that earned him the title “America’s most popular poet” are on full display. T...more
Hardcover, 128 pages
Published
April 5th 2011
by Random House
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I have read Billy Collins in the past, but not a whole book of his poems. I didn't at first fall in love with any, but I still enjoyed them, the unencumbered look at daily life, the slips of humor and irony. As I progressed through the book, though, I started _feeling_ them more deeply, which is a good thing. :)
Some I want to remember -
Simple Arithmetic (p 32)
"and gone are my notebook and my pencil / and there I go, too, / erased by my own eraser and blown like shavings off the page."
Watercolori...more
Some I want to remember -
Simple Arithmetic (p 32)
"and gone are my notebook and my pencil / and there I go, too, / erased by my own eraser and blown like shavings off the page."
Watercolori...more
I enjoy Billy Collins, but despite the airplane on the cover of this, the poems in this collection never really took off for me. The poems lack turn, they seem often to lack purpose. And sometimes they go on too long. The title poem, for example, is amusing and there's the promise that the writer might tie it up and make a point, but it just keeps meandering. Here it is online: http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmM...
The poem "Feedback" was just plain gratuitous, like the poet laughing at his ow...more
The poem "Feedback" was just plain gratuitous, like the poet laughing at his ow...more
Aug 16, 2012
Bibliojunkies
added it
Billy Collins is widely acknowledged as a prominent player at the table of modern American poetry. And in this new collection, Horoscopes for the Dead, the verbal gifts that earned him the title “America’s most popular poet” are on full display. The poems here cover the usual but everlasting themes of love and loss, life and death, youth and aging, solitude and union. With simple diction and effortless turns of phrase, Collins is at once ironic and elegiac, as in the opening lines of the title p...more
This is another review in which I have rounded up the star value. Horoscopes for the Dead is really a 3.5 in my mind--a rating that seems sacrilegious because Billy Collins is, without a doubt, one of my very favorite poets.
I think that perhaps my low(er) rating of this novel is simply a personal disconnect with some of the subject material. What I have always loved about Billy Collins' work is the everyday nature of his inspiration. I could connect with his worries, his preoccupations, and his...more
I think that perhaps my low(er) rating of this novel is simply a personal disconnect with some of the subject material. What I have always loved about Billy Collins' work is the everyday nature of his inspiration. I could connect with his worries, his preoccupations, and his...more
I never tire of Billy Collins, especially when I just want a poem that makes sense, sounds beautiful when read aloud, is precise in its attention to detail, and connects to my soul. This book delivers.
I'm not sure if it's kosher to copy the text of a poem in its entirety and post it on Goodreads, but until Mr. Collins asks for it to be removed, here is one of my favorites called "Good News."
Good News
When the news came in over the phone
that you did not have cancer, as they first thought,
I was in...more
I'm not sure if it's kosher to copy the text of a poem in its entirety and post it on Goodreads, but until Mr. Collins asks for it to be removed, here is one of my favorites called "Good News."
Good News
When the news came in over the phone
that you did not have cancer, as they first thought,
I was in...more
(A review I wrote for the University of Missouri's "Maneater")
Obtain equal parts Dane Cook and Thomas Hardy. Blend well. Publish. Yields: 51 Billy Collins poems.
A poet unrivaled in sarcastic wit and candor, Collins is the perfect antidote to English 2100 and up. Those jaded by Longfellow and Frost may be tempted to throw in the towel as the semester winds to a close, but Collins offers a fresh take on his chosen form of expression: the poem.
In Collins’ straightforward work, no theme lies buried...more
Obtain equal parts Dane Cook and Thomas Hardy. Blend well. Publish. Yields: 51 Billy Collins poems.
A poet unrivaled in sarcastic wit and candor, Collins is the perfect antidote to English 2100 and up. Those jaded by Longfellow and Frost may be tempted to throw in the towel as the semester winds to a close, but Collins offers a fresh take on his chosen form of expression: the poem.
In Collins’ straightforward work, no theme lies buried...more
Nov 01, 2011
Diann Blakely
added it
Collins, probably William Matthews’s most genuine heir in terms of both poetic advocacy and a certain lightness of touch, often bases his poems on a joke or fleeting sensuous pleasure; yet, because those pleasures are as momentary as the laugh after a wisecrack, Collins, like Matthews, often closes on a down note that causes the rest of the poem to resonate in a way that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. His most recent book, HOROSCOPES FOR THE DEAD, is eerily close to NEW HOPE FOR THE LIVING: UNC...more
Aaaargh. I just typed up quite a lengthy little review for this book that disappeared when goodreads failed to load for me... sigh. Since I am simply far too lazy today to retype it, I will have to settle for bulletpoints of what I recall from my (you'll have to trust me on this) well-written review.
- The book is uneven, which is something I feel all of Collins' recent books share
- Other than the first poem, I felt the first section was disposable. I felt much the same about the fourth and final...more
- The book is uneven, which is something I feel all of Collins' recent books share
- Other than the first poem, I felt the first section was disposable. I felt much the same about the fourth and final...more
On page 27. I took a nap and, when I woke, noticed that I'd been dreaming in Billy-speak. . . .
There are several good poems here. Much to admire for sure. And there are some not-so-good poems here. Scratch head. Turn page. It makes you wonder if everything he writes, good or bad, goes into the book.
He's self-deprecating and likable, witty, and sometimes humorous. But sometimes I feel as though the attempts at humor are strained or stretched too thin. Collins always seems to be caught up in a da...more
There are several good poems here. Much to admire for sure. And there are some not-so-good poems here. Scratch head. Turn page. It makes you wonder if everything he writes, good or bad, goes into the book.
He's self-deprecating and likable, witty, and sometimes humorous. But sometimes I feel as though the attempts at humor are strained or stretched too thin. Collins always seems to be caught up in a da...more
3 likes · like · see review
Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins, published in 2011 by Random House, is broken into four sections and includes a quote at the beginning from Alan Bennett‘s The Uncommon Reader, “It was the kind of library he had only read about in books.”
Collins’ mater-of-fact tone in these poems treats death and loss as an inevitability, which it is, but at the same time there is a reverence for the dead, dying, and living. In terms of Bennett’s quote at the beginning, Collins’ phenomenal library is the...more
Collins’ mater-of-fact tone in these poems treats death and loss as an inevitability, which it is, but at the same time there is a reverence for the dead, dying, and living. In terms of Bennett’s quote at the beginning, Collins’ phenomenal library is the...more
Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins
Every morning since you fell down on the face of the earth,
I read about you in the newspaper
along with the box scores, the weather, and all the bad news.
Sometimes I am reminded that today
will not be a wildly romantic time for you,
nor will you be challenged by educational goals
nor will you need to be circumspect at the workplace.
Another day, I learn that you will miss
an opportunity to travel and make new friends
though you never cared much about either.
I can...more
Every morning since you fell down on the face of the earth,
I read about you in the newspaper
along with the box scores, the weather, and all the bad news.
Sometimes I am reminded that today
will not be a wildly romantic time for you,
nor will you be challenged by educational goals
nor will you need to be circumspect at the workplace.
Another day, I learn that you will miss
an opportunity to travel and make new friends
though you never cared much about either.
I can...more
When a man asked me to look back three hundred years
Over the hilly landscape of America,
I must have picked up the wrong pen,
The one that had no poem lurking in its vein of ink.
So I walked in circles for days like a blind horse
Harnessed to an oaken pole that turns a millstone,
A sight we might have seen so many years ago--
Barley being ground near a swift and silent millrace--
Which led to other sights of smoky battlefields,
The frames of houses, then a tall steeple by a thoroughfare,
Which I climbed...more
Over the hilly landscape of America,
I must have picked up the wrong pen,
The one that had no poem lurking in its vein of ink.
So I walked in circles for days like a blind horse
Harnessed to an oaken pole that turns a millstone,
A sight we might have seen so many years ago--
Barley being ground near a swift and silent millrace--
Which led to other sights of smoky battlefields,
The frames of houses, then a tall steeple by a thoroughfare,
Which I climbed...more
* Note: my complete review of this book can be found at http://blog.jjwylie.com/2011/05/horos... *
Every couple of years, when the Olympics start playing again on my television, I always have the same thought: "They make it look so easy!"
Whether I'm watching a gymnast tumbling & skipping through her floor routine or a ski-jumper executing some impossible freestyle stunt before sticking his landing, I actually entertain the thought, "That doesn't look so hard!"
Of course, on an intellectual lev...more
Every couple of years, when the Olympics start playing again on my television, I always have the same thought: "They make it look so easy!"
Whether I'm watching a gymnast tumbling & skipping through her floor routine or a ski-jumper executing some impossible freestyle stunt before sticking his landing, I actually entertain the thought, "That doesn't look so hard!"
Of course, on an intellectual lev...more
I've been on a poetry kick lately which has lead me to a discovery: I detest most modern poetry. While I admittedly prefer rhyming lyrical poetry to the conversational style that is currently popular, I enjoy it all in moderation.
What I don't like is that poetry such as this seems to have no point. It discusses very banal subjects in a very bland way. I felt like Billy Collins was simply collecting random thoughts in short bursts rather than waxing poetic. I guess this would be fine as well if...more
What I don't like is that poetry such as this seems to have no point. It discusses very banal subjects in a very bland way. I felt like Billy Collins was simply collecting random thoughts in short bursts rather than waxing poetic. I guess this would be fine as well if...more
I enjoy poetry, but I can't always explain why. When I read poetry, I do it for enjoyment and not as any type of scholarly exercise. So why do I feel guilty, sometimes, for liking Billy Collins so much? I guess because when I read it, I don't think to myself, oh now I'm going to try to dissect this obscure poem and wring some meaning from it. Instead, I just enjoy what I'm reading. They say the sign of true genius is making the difficult look easy. I don't think there is any English language poe...more
Collins masterfully intersects accessibility, wit, and meaning.
Accessibility
There are no complex forms or strange words used in this book. There are no high conceits, no metaphysics, and no experiences depicted that a given reader might not know themselves.
Collins anchors his subjects in concrete objects and accompanying verbs. Abstraction and stillness are two ways to make poetry suck, and he consistently avoids both.
The downside of accessibility is that it indicates Poetry for Everybody, and...more
Accessibility
There are no complex forms or strange words used in this book. There are no high conceits, no metaphysics, and no experiences depicted that a given reader might not know themselves.
Collins anchors his subjects in concrete objects and accompanying verbs. Abstraction and stillness are two ways to make poetry suck, and he consistently avoids both.
The downside of accessibility is that it indicates Poetry for Everybody, and...more
I dislike poetry as a rule - it usually feels so written, like it's trying too hard. But everything Collins writes is magic. I wish I could try on his brain for a day just to see the world in his vocabulary.
My favorite poem in Horoscopes for the Dead was this one, called, What She Said:
When he told me he expected me to pay for dinner,
I was like give me a break.
I was not the exact equivalent of give me a break.
I was just similar to give me a break.
As I said, I was like give me a break.
I would lo...more
My favorite poem in Horoscopes for the Dead was this one, called, What She Said:
When he told me he expected me to pay for dinner,
I was like give me a break.
I was not the exact equivalent of give me a break.
I was just similar to give me a break.
As I said, I was like give me a break.
I would lo...more
Feeling just a little underwhelmed. There are several poems that are quite good in their entirety— the one about memorizing a poem by John Donne, or "Bread and Butter," for instance— and some striking individual images— a rubber duck in sunglasses floating in a pool as blind and at sea— but overall these poems get far too little work done. Too many of them could seemingly have begun with, "Hey, have you ever thought about..."; more damningly, in far too may cases the answer to that question woul...more
While on a bit of a poetry spree, I picked up some books by former U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, including: The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems, Horoscopes for the Dead, Ballistics, Sailing Alone Around the Room, and Picnic, Lightning. I am a big fan of Collins’ work and had high expectations that were more than met by each collection. Each of them were filled with the quirky humor, wry observations and moments of lyrical musings that I have come to expect from Billy Collins. His access...more
I love Billy Collins. He just plain says it. He doesn't reach for the heroic or the epic in the ordinary. The ordinary is enough. And he just plain says it. But when he does, he takes you to some unexpected place where things look very different from the ordinary.
As his poems unfold and we arrive at this other place, it’s extraordinary because we are right there with him--not below or behind or at a distance.
Collins is cool. Last semester, I showed some video adaptations of some of his poems--c...more
As his poems unfold and we arrive at this other place, it’s extraordinary because we are right there with him--not below or behind or at a distance.
Collins is cool. Last semester, I showed some video adaptations of some of his poems--c...more
I enjoyed this collection of poems, but Collins has published more solid efforts. As I contemplated my ranking for this collection, I was learning toward a 4, but then I looked back at favorites I had marked in the table of contents: only around 10 for 100 pages of poems. I suppose, as Collins writes, that a poet would be lucky to write three good poems in a lifetime, but when the suggested retail price is $24.00, I'm expecting more than a handful of good poems.
My favorites, some of which I hear...more
My favorites, some of which I hear...more
I expect to laugh when I read Billy Collins’ poetry. Sitting down with his previous books generally involves some lovely moments of thoughtful reflection, intermingled with quite a bit of chuckling — and a few downright belly laughs. This latest collection, however, has a more serious bent. Collins still toys with words and makes use of his pointed wit, but the content and tone of the poems are heavier. The poems themselves are still wonderful — poignant, pithy, and unexpected. But the poet who...more
Collins, who was the United State Poet Laureate from 2001-2003, has always entertained me, but I was a little bit disappointed with this collection. He's still accessible and writes poems that are funny and simple but still meaningful. I appreciate that, because a lot of poetry is over my head and I just don't "get" it. "Horoscopes for the Dead," however, maybe goes too far with the simplicity. There just weren't as many poems that stood out to me and made me think as there are in the other coll...more
I try to find poets I like who pick dirt from their fingernails and compare it with the moon. I read of despair and myth and omens in the middle atmosphere. But I blink and am less than ambitions about finishing another line - much less going on to poem number two. I would never even consider reading the poem aloud to the Christmas meeting of my book group. But Billy. Sweet balding Billy. I can always find a poem that makes me smile. And then .... wait a minute ... there is some hint of the scen...more
If I fault myself for anything, it’s that I underappreciate poetry. Although the idea of a secret society of post-pubescent guys sneaking around reading poetry did excite me in my youth, if I am honest with myself, the only thing that excited me about that was the secret society part and the brotherhood. I wouldn’t have considered the poetry aspect at all. But after reading O’Brien’s Island of the World, in which the protagonist is a poet and the novel itself is very poetic, I got the idea to re...more
Billy Collins being as charming as ever, with some real winners and some not so much, some serous and affecting poems while most others are pensively silly. He's just a fun read, especially aloud. A favorite from this book, and also worth looking up him reading it on YouTube:
Hangover
If I were crowned emperor this morning,
every child who is playing Marco Polo
in the swimming pool of this motel,
shouting the name Marco Polo back and forth
Marco Polo Marco Polo
would be required to read a biography
of M...more
Hangover
If I were crowned emperor this morning,
every child who is playing Marco Polo
in the swimming pool of this motel,
shouting the name Marco Polo back and forth
Marco Polo Marco Polo
would be required to read a biography
of M...more
Some critique I read online derided Collins for being a suburban poet. Well, people in the suburbs need poems too. The discussion I was reading though missed what I personally find to be the crucial joy of Collins poems; these critics were talking about deeper meaning and symbolism or lack thereof and so forth, but for me his poems read, often, like good haiku. That is, it's not always about a deeper meaning or truth, sometimes it's about giving you enough words, placed just so, that open a door...more
Probably his least successful collection to date. Most of the poems are Collins at his worst--charming and forgettable. Predictable poems about poetry and dogs predominate. I think it's fashionable as a Serious Poet (whatever that means) to hate Billy Collins for his accessible and imprecise language, jokey tone, and unchallenging themes. This seems to me v. silly. Do I think Billy Collins is a great poet? No. Has Billy Collins done great things for American poetry in terms of accessibility and...more
I'm not sure I've ever read a full book of poems but I have been meaning to check out Billy Collins for awhile and this was great!!
When a man asked me to look back three hundred years
Over the hilly landscape of America,
I must have picked up the wrong pen,
The one that had no poem lurking in its vein of ink.
So I walked in circles for days like a blind horse
Harnessed to an oaken pole that turns a millstone,
A sight we might have seen so many years ago--
Barley being ground near a swift and sil...more
If you feel like reading some poetry, and you don't want to struggle awful-much, Billy Collins is a great read. His topics are not superficial--actually, pretty thoughtful, and his straightforward style is accessible and still manages to be very poetic. I especially like his poems about taking time out of life, competition, etc., to enjoy a quiet transencendent moment, as in the poem "My Hero":
Just as the hare is zipping across the finish line,
the tortoise has stopped once again
by the roadside,t...more
Just as the hare is zipping across the finish line,
the tortoise has stopped once again
by the roadside,t...more
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William A. ("Billy") Collins is an American poet. He served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. In his home state, Collins has been recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004.
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“Grave
What do you think of my new glasses
I asked as I stood under a shade tree
before the joined grave of my parents,
and what followed was a long silence
that descended on the rows of the dead
and on the fields and the woods beyond,
one of the one hundred kinds of silence
according to the Chinese belief,
each one distinct from the others,
but the differences being so faint
that only a few special monks
were able to tell them apart.
They make you look very scholarly,
I heard my mother say
once I lay down on the ground
and pressed an ear into the soft grass.
Then I rolled over and pressed
my other ear to the ground,
the ear my father likes to speak into,
but he would say nothing,
and I could not find a silence
among the 100 Chinese silences
that would fit the one that he created
even though I was the one
who had just made up the business
of the 100 Chinese silences -
the Silence of the Night Boat
and the Silence of the Lotus,
cousin to the Silence of the Temple Bell
only deeper and softer, like petals, at its farthest edges.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
What do you think of my new glasses
I asked as I stood under a shade tree
before the joined grave of my parents,
and what followed was a long silence
that descended on the rows of the dead
and on the fields and the woods beyond,
one of the one hundred kinds of silence
according to the Chinese belief,
each one distinct from the others,
but the differences being so faint
that only a few special monks
were able to tell them apart.
They make you look very scholarly,
I heard my mother say
once I lay down on the ground
and pressed an ear into the soft grass.
Then I rolled over and pressed
my other ear to the ground,
the ear my father likes to speak into,
but he would say nothing,
and I could not find a silence
among the 100 Chinese silences
that would fit the one that he created
even though I was the one
who had just made up the business
of the 100 Chinese silences -
the Silence of the Night Boat
and the Silence of the Lotus,
cousin to the Silence of the Temple Bell
only deeper and softer, like petals, at its farthest edges.”
Nov 17, 2012 02:45am