Inventing Difficulty: Poems

by Jessica Greenbaum

Poetry. "A sinewy, vividly intelligent humanity gives to this collection its memorable voice. In one sense, Jessica Greenbaum's poems are incisively local—that Brooklyn landscape out of Whitman and Hart Crane. In another sense, however, they tell of the larger sadness and recognitions of our century. They 'design their world through love' and scrupulous observation. A first book by a poet very much to be listened to."—George Steiner

Genres: Poetry

66 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2000

About the author

Jessica Greenbaum is an American poet. Her first book, Inventing Difficulty (1998), won the Gerald Cable Prize. Her second book, The Two Yvonnes (2012), was chosen by Paul Muldoon for Princeton’s Series of Contemporary Poets. She is the poetry editor for upstreet and lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read Greenbaum in the New Yorker and liked her work enough to want more -- and indeed, I liked many of these, although only a very few wowed me.

[Tayler Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some real gems, the Don Quixote jewelry box, miscarriage, and the Sisyphus report stood out.