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A Fraction of Darkness
A Fraction of Darkness is the first book to follow PM/AM: New and Selected Poems, a nominee for the 1982 American Book Award. In this new collection, Linda Pastan continues to fulfill the promise of her five earlier books.
- GenresPoetry
76 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Linda Pastan
53 books62 followersIn 1932, Linda Pastan was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx. She graduated from Radcliffe College and received an MA from Brandeis University.
She is the author of Traveling Light (W. W. Norton & Co., 2011); Queen of a Rainy Country (2006); The Last Uncle (2002); Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems 1968-1998 (1998), which was nominated for the National Book Award; An Early Afterlife (l995); Heroes In Disguise (1991), The Imperfect Paradise (1988), a nominee for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; PM/AM: New and Selected Poems (l982), which was nominated for the National Book Award; The Five Stages of Grief (l978), and A Perfect Circle of Sun (l971).
About Pastan's The Five Stages of Grief, the poet May Sarton said, "It is about all her integrity that has made Linda Pastan such a rewarding poet. Nothing is here for effect. There is no self-pity, but in this new book she has reached down to a deeper layer and is letting the darkness in. These poems are full of foreboding and acceptance, a wry unsentimental acceptance of hard truth. They are valuable as signposts, and in the end, as arrivals. Pastan's signature is growth."
Among her many awards and honors include a Pushcart Prize, a Dylan Thomas Award, the Di Castagnola Award, the Bess Hokin Prize, the Maurice English Award, the Charity Randall Citation, and the 2003 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. She was a recipient of a Radcliffe College Distinguished Alumnae Award.
From 1991 to 1995, she served as the Poet Laureate of Maryland, and was among the staff of the Breadloaf Writers Conference for twenty years. Linda Pastan lives in Potomac, Maryland.
She is the author of Traveling Light (W. W. Norton & Co., 2011); Queen of a Rainy Country (2006); The Last Uncle (2002); Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems 1968-1998 (1998), which was nominated for the National Book Award; An Early Afterlife (l995); Heroes In Disguise (1991), The Imperfect Paradise (1988), a nominee for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; PM/AM: New and Selected Poems (l982), which was nominated for the National Book Award; The Five Stages of Grief (l978), and A Perfect Circle of Sun (l971).
About Pastan's The Five Stages of Grief, the poet May Sarton said, "It is about all her integrity that has made Linda Pastan such a rewarding poet. Nothing is here for effect. There is no self-pity, but in this new book she has reached down to a deeper layer and is letting the darkness in. These poems are full of foreboding and acceptance, a wry unsentimental acceptance of hard truth. They are valuable as signposts, and in the end, as arrivals. Pastan's signature is growth."
Among her many awards and honors include a Pushcart Prize, a Dylan Thomas Award, the Di Castagnola Award, the Bess Hokin Prize, the Maurice English Award, the Charity Randall Citation, and the 2003 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. She was a recipient of a Radcliffe College Distinguished Alumnae Award.
From 1991 to 1995, she served as the Poet Laureate of Maryland, and was among the staff of the Breadloaf Writers Conference for twenty years. Linda Pastan lives in Potomac, Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 10, 2022
I loved this collection and its sections which arched from life and vitality, relationship, and the process of loss and grief.
September 17, 2025
"It is almost time
to let the curtain
of darkness down
on the perfect exit,
to say one last time
a few loved names,
or else to go out
in silence
like an anonymous star
whose message,
if there is one,
is light years away."
This collection is broken into three sections: the first has a range of disparate topics, the second leans heavily upon nature, and the third is primarily about death -- or at least the last stages of life. When discussing the topic, Pastan does not fear death, but rather has a respect for it, treating it with the reverence and severity it deserves. In one of her poems, she says not to pity the dead, but to save that emotion for the living who are left behind. She also speaks of the "intricate terror and beauty I look for in books." This is precisely what I am searching for when it comes to poetry. When I first procured one of her collections in a local book store, I knew I had found something special. What Pastan does so brilliantly is to evoke strong emotions with very few words. Each word, line, and emotion is crafted with care. My favorite piece is probably "Duet for One Voice" which is about the death of her mother. Austere, dark, inspiring, gorgeous.
to let the curtain
of darkness down
on the perfect exit,
to say one last time
a few loved names,
or else to go out
in silence
like an anonymous star
whose message,
if there is one,
is light years away."
This collection is broken into three sections: the first has a range of disparate topics, the second leans heavily upon nature, and the third is primarily about death -- or at least the last stages of life. When discussing the topic, Pastan does not fear death, but rather has a respect for it, treating it with the reverence and severity it deserves. In one of her poems, she says not to pity the dead, but to save that emotion for the living who are left behind. She also speaks of the "intricate terror and beauty I look for in books." This is precisely what I am searching for when it comes to poetry. When I first procured one of her collections in a local book store, I knew I had found something special. What Pastan does so brilliantly is to evoke strong emotions with very few words. Each word, line, and emotion is crafted with care. My favorite piece is probably "Duet for One Voice" which is about the death of her mother. Austere, dark, inspiring, gorgeous.
October 9, 2018
There is so much crappy poetry out there that is praised where none Is deserved. This work by Pastan merits it.
The themes of aging and death keep popping up, but it isn’t gloomy. It’s sensitive. It’s wise. It’s powerful.
And, once, funny. Her poem on the Seven Deadly Sins had me laughing out loud when she hit sloth.
The themes of aging and death keep popping up, but it isn’t gloomy. It’s sensitive. It’s wise. It’s powerful.
And, once, funny. Her poem on the Seven Deadly Sins had me laughing out loud when she hit sloth.
July 29, 2008
I liked this book, but I can't say I REALLY liked it. However, I did REALLY like the last poem, "Shadows." I must have read it aloud 5 or 6 times.
There is also a very clever poem on the seven deadly sins in here that makes this book a worthwhile read. If I were you, I'd add it to the list, maybe not on the top, but hey, adding a book to the "to read" column never hurts, right?
There is also a very clever poem on the seven deadly sins in here that makes this book a worthwhile read. If I were you, I'd add it to the list, maybe not on the top, but hey, adding a book to the "to read" column never hurts, right?
March 25, 2013
I bought this book in 1985. I still like parts of it.
June 2, 2013
Linda Pastan is one of my favorite poets.
June 5, 2016
breath-taking, as always...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews