Flashes of inspiration, of originality, of that conjoining of synapses that transmit creativity to the mind/eye/hand/soul of the receiver and bring forth significant art have been assigned to a Muse, a connection with some other place, always indefineable until this eloquent little book by the intoxicatingly intelligent Edward Hirsch. As erudite as this well researched book is, it is more a companion to the learning eye and mind, much like his other forays into how to read poetry, etc. Using the centuries-old concept of the "daimon" or demon as best illustrated thorugh Lorca's "duende", Hirsch spends the first half of his book drawing us into a familiarity and asks us to be vulnerable to the concept of a mysterious spirit that enters from the bowels of the earth the body of the writer, poet, musician, composer, dancer, and induces creativity. His examples and quotations from a wide range of artists are convincing. And just when we feel sure that we understand the creative source, Hirsch takes us a step further and discusses the Rilke belief that inspiration comes down from the heavens as an angel to soar through the mind of the receptive artist and provides that out of body, inexplicable touch that we call creativity. With both sources - one emerging for the bowels of the earth as a dark demon and the other descending through the firmament to transiently rest inside the soul - Hirsch addresses just what is "creativity" and how we can better find it and embrace it. This small book speaks volumes to artists and readers alike. This is not a "self help" book, but rather a source of inspiration as powerful as any canvas or poem or symphony. Read and improve your connection with art.

Employing as touchstones Garcia Lorca's consideration of duende and Rilke's concept of the angel, Edward Hirsch constructs a convincingly argued, evocative "search for the source of artistic inspiration." In lucid, forceful prose Hirsch draws illustration for his argument not only from poetry (art in words)but from all the arts. His thought-provoking investigation deepens our understanding not only of the source of artistic inspiration but also of the interrelation of the arts and their common inspirational wellsprings. His illustations and exemplifications range widely among virtually all modern artistic innovators. By coming at the question of inspiration through all the arts his discussion deepens and enriches the reader's understanding, leaving him or her enlightened and stimulated.

Nazim Hikmet's great Epic Poetry is written in simple lines that carry more than they seem. So much about a culture and its human side. Nazim Hikmet, regardless of his politic side, is a humanist that always believed in human beings and wished for the best for those who suffer. Human Landscapes is a masterpiece of his humanist side.

Nazim Hikmet and his poetry and prose are famous for various reasons, and I think with this specific edition the value of the poetry is very well communicated even to those who read Nazim for the first time. The translation, the glossary and the introductions are what make this edition great. As to what makes this book great... it is a very telling story of the history of the time in Turkey. The characters come alive and pass us by as we turn the pages and the reader becomes a part of the epic. While reading the story I felt like I was in Turkey and was turning my head to see where the noises were coming from only to be included in the daily lives of so many very well developed characters....

I found this one in the Dartmouth Bookstore Basement for $1 and what with it being National Poetry Month (April) and the cover blurb declaring it the winner of the 1997 Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize (no I've never heard of it either), I figured I'd give it a shot. It was four quarters well spent.

Using traditional poetry forms and the incidents of everyday life, Webb crafts some really witty and wonderful little poems. Whether he's writing about a Cristo art project (Umbrellas) or The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Twenty Years Too Late to See The Rocky Horror...), he uncovers the amazing in the mundane. Several have a pretty sharp edge to them, like Prayer for the Man Who Mugged My Father, 72--suffice it to say, the mugger hopes the prayer doesn't come to pass. And a couple are just really funny, like Broken Toe, where the title occurrence at least snaps him out of his middle aged complacency. And I found one image that for me really captures what poetry can do at its best, the clever use of words to paint an indelible image. It's from the poem Spiders:

Their webs, transparent fielders' gloves,
pluck flies out of mid-air.

The baseball analogy alone is enough to get my attention, but the play on the word flies exemplifies the cleverness on display throughout this collection.

The poems of Charles Harper Webb are well worth checking out. I found a bunch of his poems on-line and linked to them below--give them a try and if you see the book for $1, grab it.

GRADE: A

Probably one of the best and most clever books of poetry written in the last ten years. Webb is a member of the "stand-up" school of West Coast poetry, a movement that seeks to inject comedy and surprise into the otherwise staid and dull world of poetry. He's Billy Collins, but with a much darker--and smarter--edge.

I saw Edward Hirsch read from his work earlier this week and the reading confirmed what I have thought for some time--he is one of the best poets now working. Direct, passionate, delightful and in love with life despite its difficulties and disappointments, this reissue (along with his new book, Lay Back the Darkness and his older collection, For The Sleepwalkers) is a book no lover of serious, skilled poetry should be without.

I've had this volume for many years now. Hirsch's poem "Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad" is perhaps one of the best American language poems ever written. I consider almost all of Hirsch's work to be outstanding, but I hope never to be without a copy of this volume.

In his short life John Keats created some of the finest poetry in the English language. I have read his shorter poems and odes many times, not for study, but simply for enjoyment. I am not a Keats expert, but I can now easily recognize quotations from Keat's odes, sonnets, and other poems. I especially like "The Eve of St. Agnes", a story of romance and danger in a medieval setting that illustrates Keats' remarkable command of language.

Keats is not difficult, but footnotes help with archaic words and references to more obscure Greek mythology. I prefer to read Keats unaided, then read the footnotes (best if tucked away in an appendix), and then return and read the poem again. For longer poems I jump to footnotes more quickly.

Initially, the inexpensive Dover edition "Lyric Poems", was exactly what I needed. Later, as I tackled longer poetry like "Endymion", I migrated to more complete collections with commentary and footnotes.

Keats" works are widely available in hardcover and paperback. Which collection is best for college study or independent reading? I have two favorites, one by Penguin Classics and the other by Modern Library. Both are available in softcovers.

The first is "The Complete Poems" by Penguin Classics, edited by John Bernard and a standard choice for college classes. I have the second edition, 1977. Barnard's extensive footnotes and commentary are quite good and offset his somewhat brief introduction. Additionally, the appendix discusses textual variations in Keats' manuscripts and has a useful guide to Greek mythology names. The third edition, 1988, adds 20 pages of selected letters, Keats' notes on Milton's Paradise Lost, and his notes on a Shakespearean actor.

The second choice (my favorite) is the newly published "Complete Poems and Selected Letters of John Keats", Modern Library 2001 edition (not the earlier 1994 hardcover version). Apparently as a direct challenge to Penguin Classics, this edition offers a longer introduction (22 pages) by Edward Hirsch and excellent footnotes (not too many, nor too few) by John Pollock. Also, as the title implies, it has selected letters by Keats, some 25 pages in total. Somewhat hidden in the appendix is commentary by six well-known literary critics such as T. S. Eliot, Mathew Arnold, and Keats' biographer Walter Jackson Bate. Lastly, the font is larger and more crisp in the Modern Library version (but is still quite acceptable in the Penguin edition).

Overall, I prefer Hirsch to Barnard, but both are good choices. Both are 5-stars.

Everyone knows that cars are a important part of america, and now there is a book that really shows that people still carry on their romance with their cars. Check out Pick up(I laughed), and the Wrecker (I found this one oddly moving).

Edward Hirsch has penned a magnificent collection of poems, grounded in the earth, but also searching the sky, concepts of spirituality, language itself, and the deepest human feelings, for some kind of resolution. Hirsch finds this resolution, however tenuous and fragile it may be, and so does the reader.

"Summer Surprised Us" is a poem about how glorious the experience of summer is, even when we don't recognize it consciously at the time. The language is startling and re-juvenating.

"At the Grave of Wallace Stevens" is a sheer masterpiece, so alive with empathy and resonance, that it leaves the reader reverberating, literally.

This book is a masterpiece, and I recommend it to everybody.

I really enjoy reading Hirsch because he has a romantic love affair with poetry and his enthusiasm is infectious in the extreme.

This is an excellent introduction to what poetry is and what it can do. Hirsch focuses on the romantic/spiritual side to poetry, his favourite poets being Whitman and Emerson.

He does get a bit carried away with this at times and is best introducing new and obscure pots such as the modern Greek poet Cavafy.

It is not the sort of book you read over three days. I found myself reading very slowly, like eating a big rich chocolate dessert.

Anyone fortunate enough to read an Ed Hirsch column in the American Poetry Review knows that this man's enthusiasm for poetry is unparalleled. In this Book, Hirsch offers his bottomless understanding of poetry's necessity, showcasing his ability dig dig into the souls of great poets to answer the question "what is poetry for?" I found myself smiling and shaking my head in agreement with his comments about poets I've never heard of. When someone can get me so interested in a poet about whom I know nothing with just a few pages in a book, I know I am reading the work of an incredibly deft mind. Yes, this book does have the ability to transform people into poetry fans, but readers must first have some sort of interest or passion for poetry. If you've got that, Ed Hirsch does all the rest for you.

Hirsch has created a marvelous and exciting book revealing the art and mystery of poetry from Classical times to the present. I cannot believe that anyone reading this work will not be inspired to read more poetry.

Who's Afraid of Edward Albee?
by Foster Hirsch

A guy fell in love with me. I sort of liked him. He gave me this book because he figured a poet like myself would enjoy it. And I did enjoy some of it, but not very much of it. The poor guy, he should've given me something else--some Yeats or Shelley instead. After this read, he didn't stand a chance. In all fairness, Hirsch is a good poet on most days, but this collection fell way flat for me. He should stick to the stuff he knows best, rather than trying to make an obvious seller for Valentine's Day.

It's apparent that some people find the "Lectures on Love" series of poems forced and prentious. I don't agree that these poems "sound like Hirsch"; instead, I find myself astonished at how varied the voices are-- in addition, I think that Hirsch remains true to the voices of the characters/writers he inhabits. (This is particularly true of the Baudelaire poem.) But the most impressive aspect of these poems in their formal integrity-- and they are very difficult and orginal forms that Hirsch employs! Also, the poem "The Painting of Pan" is fabulous-- it is one of the most unsettlingly sensual poems I've ever read. Check it out.

I must politely disagree with my fellow readers. I enjoyed Edward Hirsch's new book, On Love, completely. This poet, Edward Hirsch, has continued, unabatedly, to define successfully what it means to be human in an often inhumane world. If not for any other reason, I find it important to read his poems for this very reason-- for finding such wisdom has become rare, indeed. And in this collection of poems, as were present in his other books, there are moments of undeniable beauty. I was left speechless by his poem for Amy Clampitt, entitled Iowa Flora, and the poem Blue Hydrangea, among others. I believe this collection of poems to complement his ever-growing and ambitious oeuvre. I would suggest this book to any friend who was interested in reading great poetry in a time when great poetry is more harder to find than ever.