One of his generation's foremost poets, Armand Schwerner (1927-1999) died before completing his translation of "The Divine Comedy". A few months before his death, he said the cantos from the "Inferno" that comprise this Talisman House edition, were ready for publication. In his translations, Schwerner demonstrates a mastery of his subject and is highly recommended for a contemporary American readership. Canto 1: In the middle of the journey/of our life/I came to myself/in a dark forest/the straightforward way/misplaced.//Ah it's so hard to tell/about that wild/sour and rank wood--/at the thought of it/I'm afraid again, recall/so bitter, almost/beyond dying.//But/to take up the good/I found in that place/I'll tell of the other things/I marked in that place...

When I first saw many of the works that make up Schwerner's TABLETS sequence in Conjunctions magazine back in the 80s, I was hooked: the compelling and playful invention of mythic stories, invented-archeological mock-transcriptions, and odd iconography seemed quite fascinating, and still does. I was saddened to hear the news last year that Schwerner had died, especially since I had been waiting years for someone to finally collect all of these odd and intriguing sections into a single volume.

In the Tablets, Schwerner is by turns experimental, ironic, satiric, comic, reflexive, and serious. The criptic nature of the Tablets may turn some readers off, but for anyone interested in getting to know American poetry after 1945, the book is a must. Its right up there with "A", "The Cantos", and "Maximus". A faux archeology of consciousness. An altogether beautiful reading experience.

I read the novel Of Mice and Men, which was recommended to me by my cousin. He told me the book wasn't that long and the story was really nice. So I went to the library and checked it out. When I first started to read the book it seemed kind of boring because the two main characters where just talking back and forth, but after the first two chapters I couldn't put the book down. It was a wonderful book and I had a great time reading it. While I was reading this book it made me think about me and my friends and what friendship really is.

Of Mice and Men is a story about a relationship between two friends who travel around California, working on farms. Lennie is a big, giant, strong man with the mind of a small child traveling with George, a short, smart guy who not only looks after himself but also has to look after his job and take care of his mentally retarded friend, Lennie. George is like Lennie's older brother who watches out for him all the time. Lennie does unintelligent things like carry around dead mouse in this pocket and George always yells at Lennie and gets mad at him yet, George can't go on with his life without Lennie. They travel together working hard on farms and saving up money so their dream can come true. All they want is a place of their own with chicken, rabbits, horses, and other farm animals. On their way to their dream they stop at a farm to make some money where things go wrong because Lennie likes to touch, pet, and hold on to soft things. Their dream is ruined because of Lennie's habit. Lennie likes to touch all things that are soft, and I mean all things that are soft, even a woman's soft pretty dress, or her soft silky hair, which gets Lennie killed by his best friend. George decides that he can no longer protect Lennie from the horrible things that he hadn't intended to do. This was a really hard decision for George but he knew the outcome was going to be the best for both him and Lennie.

Of Mice and Men takes you through life changing events, problems, and dreams of two poor laborers who just want a place of their own, which is just like many people in the world. Many families and friends work together so their dreams can come true. This book also made think of friendship and how we treat our friends and others in the world who are different, and less intelligent then us. People treat others bad, and put them down just because they are different. Even though the ending of this novel seems sad, and heart breaking, I think George did the right thing; he didn't want his friend to live the hard harsh life, in this unkind world. After reading this book, it made me realize that John Steinbeck is a wonderful author and I loved his writing style. It simple, easy to understand, relates to life, teaches you something and leaves you with something to think about. I am a person who doesn't like to read much but when I am assigned to read for a class I tend to find books that interest me. In the future I plan to read this book again and I also want read more of John Steinbeck's novels.

My name is Kelly, and I am a junior in high school and I was recently assigned to read John Stienbeck's novel OF MICE AND MEN. I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book, for many different reasons. For instance, Steinbeck uses a storyline that grabs the attention of all ages, young or old. In the begining, we are introduced to George and Lennie the novel's two main characters. They are fleeing from their former hometown in search of a new job opportunity on a ranch located in the Salinas Valley. The two fathem a dream of owning their own ranch one day with lots of acres and rabbits. They work out a plan to earn money so this dream can be fulfilled. While on the ranch the young childish Lennie is objected to numerous situations, in which they put George in akward posiitions. George's loyalty is constantly tested throughout the novel. With a surprise ending their dream seems to fade away. This book is one everyone should read, because it teaches the meaning of friendship and the "American Dream".

Although not one of the lengthiest books to ever hit the shelves, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is definitely a warhorse in the arena of American Literature. Illustrating the fierce love between two friends, Steinbeck takes the reader on a journey through the poverty stricken lands of the West. These two friends, George and Lennie, are the two main characters of the novel, and their journeys from job to job hold only one thing in common: they keep their dreams to one day own their own little patch of land. Because of Lennie's combination of mental retardation and incredible strength, he often gets into troublesome situations and ends up leaving town. George always goes with Lennie, but in the tragic end, George realizes that he cannot keep protecting Lennie from the world.

There is much to this book, but it can easily be read as simply a sad story. I found it very readable, and I have always kept it close to my heart. There are some instances of foul language and inappropriate situations, but they in no way are distracting to the overall thematic content. Steinbeck's evocative language and beautiful descriptions are breathtaking. The story is not so complex or farfetched that it becomes unbelievable, and I highly recommend it to anyone that is considering reading it. I truly do love this book.

These stroies are worth reading,but the translations in this book are fairly bland. In fact, the translation for Ajax is pretty bad. I don't think I've ever seen the word twinkie used in a Greek trajedy before. I would recomend picking up other versions of these plays.