The Complete English Poems

by J.D. Fleeman (Photographer)

A delightful book.

Genres: Poetry

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t fault the editor, who did a tremendous job, but Christ this book is boring. The notes and definitions were the most interesting parts! It’s obvious that Johnson was extremely intelligent, and there’s something to be said for the passage of time having a negative impact here, but when it comes down to it, the man lacked soul. These poems have no heart. They are all fact and allusion and intellectual showmanship. Not a single one of these poems has anything even remotely resembling fire. Donne was a horrid misogynist but at least the dude’s poems lived and danced and played sparked. If the man hadn’t been friends with all the right people and written the damn dictionary I doubt we’d even know who Doc Johnson was today. Super bummer, big letdown.

[Jacques Defraigne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the poetry of Johnson was a strange experience for me as there were poems I absolutely loved and some that didn't appealed to me at all. Therefore I give it 3 stars. But this book is certainly worth a look.