The collected greed, parts 1-13

by Diane Wakoski

Wakoski's unified poetic vision has earned her a distinguished position in contemporary American literature. Her poems are personal narratives through which she weaves repeated images and themes, forming a rich texture of metaphor and critical reflection based in individual experience. Wakoski describes the poet's mission as "carving out a territory, creating the subject matter or content which helps to the reader to identify his voice or style as poet." For Wakoski, this poetic territory is based on the events of her own life, but the resulting work transcends the limitations of factual representation in order to emphasize the most interesting and universal qualities related to the experience.

Genres: Poetry

248 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1984

About the author

Wakoski is an American poet who is primarily associated with the deep image poets such as Jerome Rothenberg, Robert Kelly, and Clayton Eshleman. Throughout her work she uses legends, myth and fairy tales to create a deeply personal mythology.

She is best known for a series of poems collectively known as "The Motorcycle Betrayal Poems."

Wakoski was given the William Carlos Williams Award for her "Emerald Ice: Selected Poetry 1962-1987."

Reviews

[K. Spicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am someone that usually reads the preface or intro to a book AFTER I've completed it instead of when I start it (I feel like introductions usually tell me how to feel about a book, and I like to make my own judgments), but for some reason I can't explain I read the preface to "The Collected Greed" before beginning the work. I'm glad that this time I completed things "in order."

Wakoski's preface to this collection explaining how it came to be enhanced my appreciation for the overall work (which would have been high already) and gave context to the variation in structure between each section.

Highlights included (but were not limited to):
-the hard look in the mirror for all artists of "Part 2"
-crying my way through "Part 4" (I always cry at some point, if it's good)
-the Miss Zarves energy of "Part 10" not actually being included ("There is no 19th floor, there is no Miss Zarves". . .IYKYK)
-the play-within-a-play of "Part 12" with a cast of characters I will not attempt to explain out of context

This collection accomplished (for me) what Wakoski had intended to do. This poetry feels new and uncomfortable, but there is a beauty in it that is undeniable.

[Emily K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this book because I was interested where Wakowski would take the permission that she gave herself to include "trivia" (a la the New York School) in her poems. As I read, I found her 1980's feminism fun to argue with at first, but that fun eventually petered out during the incredibly dull 12th section, which read like a Kathy Acker writing experiment by a misguided conservative. Whereas Kathy is radical, her formal experiments mirror her political aims, Wakowski is myopic, her politics veer towards homophobia and cissexism during a rather boring, overlong and fawning ~60 pages that sing the praises of Charles fucking Bukowski?? The greed in the book is all Wakowski's, greed for that white whale relationship of total validation that no man can provide.