The World Behind the World: Poems

by April Bernard

An acclaimed poet finds moral and spiritual connection in this fierce, dexterous volume. Balancing emotional openness with formal restraint, April Bernard proves once again a poet who “harmonizes the raucous and the classic, the songful and the wry, the courtly and the quick” (Wayne Koestenbaum). Throughout her sixth collection, Bernard searches for “the world behind the world,” a spiritual realm of justice and peace, music and grace. The host of saints present in this parallel world includes poets―John Ashbery, Thomas Wyatt, Gerard Manley Hopkins―as well as folklore spirits, animals wild and domestic, and personal ghosts. Mystical, daring, expertly crafted, and ironic, The World Behind the World embarks on a wide-ranging journey through memory and loss to reach “that other world, where nothing human can wreck us.” Along the way, the poet conjures lush woodlands and icy oceans, wry conversations with voices from the past, and transformative moments of reckoning and healing. Rising up from despair, anger, and grief, this powerful collection proposes a moving, personal faith.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Hardcover

Published March 14, 2023

About the author

April Bernard is the author of three poetry collections and a novel. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the Boston Review, the New York Review of Books, and elsewhere. She lives in Bennington, Vermont.

Reviews

[Deirdre Kleemann · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.62 stars.

Based on the title, I was intrigued, however was constantly underwhelmed. While it does have some impressive works, namely, “Woo-woo,” “Cold Morning, and “Who Falters,” the tone was lacking and inconsistent throughout- something regrettable in a collection of poems titled so strongly. I, having gone to a catholic school, can appreciate biblical references, but draw the line at alienating others with differing beliefs. Without belief in God, I can appreciate music just fine, thank you very much.

The grammar was also lacking and inconsistent, making many of the poems confusing and difficult to read. I’d expect better from a Skidmore professor- I’d expect better from my 12 year old sister.

I’d describe it as mediocre at best.

[Matthew Gellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning, searching, spiritually attuned collection of poems from one of the best. Bernard is formally adroit and emotionally piercing on a level rarely found in poetry today.

[Hannah-Renea Niederberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very lovely collection of poems! The first piece, "Haunted," knocked my freaking socks off. Extremely good use of imagery and allusion throughout the collection!

There were a lot of pieces that were inspiration from other works, which I appreciate, though just as a personal subjective taste I would've liked to see more balance with original works. Not a bad thing, just a personal taste thing!

Overall I really liked this, and I will be checking out this poet's other work!

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judging A Book By Its Title

While browsing in the local public library, I found this short book of poems by April Bernard with the intruiging title, "The World Behind The World" (2023) and couldn't resist. April Bernard (b. 1956) has written five earlier volumes of poetry together with two novels. She has received several awards for her work and teaches English and creative writing at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs,New York. This book was my first experience with her work.

"The World Behind the World" consists of 35 poems, many of which were earlier published in magazines, divided into three sections. The poems are written in a variety of styles and cover a wide range of subjects with a great deal of allusiveness to other writers and historical figures. The writing tends to be taut, sharp, and often critical. At first glance, it was difficult to see the relationship of most of these poems to "The World Behind the World."

With rereading and seeing the poems in their entirety, the volume began to cohere. Broadly, many of the poems are about the unexamined world of everyday experience, the poet's or other persons. This is frequently a world of loss, unrequited feeling, sorrow, and anger. Bernard's writing on these subjects can be most tough minded. Some other poems deal expressly with the "World Behind the World". These poems take the world of experience with its difficulty and try to go beyond it to find meaning and hope. In other words, they delve deeper in an attempt to reach understanding. Some of the poems may be taken in a traditional or Christian sense to find God as "The World Behind the World." I am not sure this is necessary as Bernard says little about the content of the "World" and offers a vision which appears hard-won and personal.

The phrase "The World Behind the World" is used in two poems In the poem "Such hap as I am happed in", a character ironically advises to "Look for the world behind the world,/if you like, but --." Allowing/no inroad to the spirit, nor hope/ for the one who bore and bears him, he/awaits such days as well hurtle him, barreling to his happenstance." In the poem "You can Sing it", the poet reflects on teaching the poet Gerald Manley Hopkings to students and emphasizing the musical character of his meters. She writes:

"I tell students,
you can sing it, and we do: his words
match exactly that old hundredth, lilting
creation's errors and accidents
to mottle a vista that leads,
in variable measures, to the world
behind the world, where raggedy
becomes pattern and a staggered
amen in dappling laps whole."

The theme of the"World Behind the World" does indeed pervade this collection, in both the harsh and the visionary poems. Some of the poems I enjoyed which illustrate the theme are the opening poem, "Haunt", a reflection on an experience during the pandemic, the prose poem, Seal" and the concluding poem in part 1, "The Fetch Explained, More or Less." In part 2, the poem "Closest is Music" explores the relation of music to "The World Behind the World". Other poems in this section that do so as well include "The Legacy of Nicholas Ray" about the famous film director, and "This Life" about living in the world as we find it. In part 3, I enjoyed "Sora, I see you" about the great Japanese poet, Basho, "Fish Life", and "Woo-woo".

This is a difficult book and, as with most collections of poetry, not every poem is successful. On the whole, the book is moving and for me delivered on the promise of its title of suggesting and illuminating the search for "The World Behind the World" as an element of life.

Robin Friedman

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

from The Fetch Explained, More or Less: "My dog, Buster, ginger and foxy, / is not familiar with fetch not spirit-animal; / he is, rather, my attendant, dependent, lode-star, / pest, sentinel-Magog, house-angel, noise-maker, / secretary, nurse-maid, critic. HIs alternate names: / Bingo Little, Little Mister, Little Be, Little / Bun, Honey Bun. You must draw your own / conclusions."

from Cold Morning: "Seven years ago my friend / died and I am still outraged. I have been // shaking my stupid fist of outrage at the gods / for so long they must have a nickname for me, // like Dryope, for the black poplar tree, / or else Sophia, as a joke, since // I have no wisdom."

from This Life: "The sages tell us / that blindness in the morning / may give way to sight by evening... // How they lie. We know only a little more / than the animals, and it is pain. This life / that demands, with every sun-up, to be lived."

[Page Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not a poem book for me, I was constantly underwhelmed throughout the entire read. The religious undertones through me off. While it may be for some it just wasn’t up my alley.