The Grooks of Danish multitalent Piet Hein belong on everyone's bookshelf. And they deserve to be taken out and read in. And to be thought about

The amazing genius of Piet Hein is that his thoughts about life, about the small and the big things - but never unimportant things! - are short and at first sight simple, yet they say more than a Ph.D. thesis on Philosophy.

Therefore even the most illiterate will be happy about every single dime she or he spends on a Piet Hein book. Of course you get more for the money if you buy his collected Grooks.

Piet Hein's grooks are unique and wonderful. Knowing and using them has greatly enriched my life. I have and know of 6 distinct grook books in english, along with various subsets published under other titles. Profoundly wise and witty, these rhyming aphorisms aptly observe many facets of life, often with delightful multilevel insight and playfulness. Each gruk is on it's own page with it's own revealing title and small illustrative sketch. Hein's Grooks are gems that grace and enliven reflective experience. They are unique and precious. This is unsentimental evaluation, not hyperbole. Despite his grook to 'shun advice at any price, that's what i'd call good advice', i heartily reccommend them to all humorous and reflective people. His Grooks aptly manifest his grook: 'Taking fun as simply fun, and earnestness in earnest, shows how thoroughly thou, none of the two discernest'. The books are hard to find. I have made a text file of many of the grooks.

The Grooks of Danish multitalent Piet Hein belong on everyone's bookshelf. And they deserve to be taken out and read in. And to be thought about

The amazing genius of Piet Hein is that his thoughts about life, about the small and the big things - but never unimportant things! - are short and at first sight simple, yet they say more than a Ph.D. thesis on Philosophy.

Therefore even the most illiterate will be happy about every single dime she or he spends on a Piet Hein book. Of course you get more for the money if you buy his collected Grooks.

I fell in love with Piet Hein's Grooks in 1969 and still recall many of them by heart. "I'd like to know / what this whole show / is all about / before it's out" is one of my favorites. His aphorisms published in Danish newspapers kept up the spirits of his countrymen during Hitler's invasion. His talents as an architect, city-planner, artist and designer are reflected in his works. They should be republished. He also developed a "super-egg" which was popular in the 60's in gift shops in Cambridge - an egg -shaped sculpture which defied the laws of physics by standing easily on one end.

Piet Hein offers an amusing browse with this book of pithy poems and simple cartoon drawings. I don't know if it is because of the translation, but the English versions of his short poems occasionally and unfortunately fall off the meter. Furthermore, while a few of them are worth quoting, some of these poems turn out to be largely meaningless if you give them much thought. Sporadically enlightening.

The Grooks of Danish multitalent Piet Hein belong on everyone's bookshelf. And they deserve to be taken out and read in. And to be thought about

The amazing genius of Piet Hein is that his thoughts about life, about the small and the big things - but never unimportant things! - are short and at first sight simple, yet they say more than a Ph.D. thesis on Philosophy.

Therefore even the most illiterate will be happy about every single dime she or he spends on a Piet Hein book. Of course you get more for the money if you buy his collected Grooks.