As a Polish I'm deeply moved by the fact of Pan Tadeusz being at your bookshelf. Regarding polish literature I highly recommend Stanisław Lem. Although he is mostly known as a sci-fi writer, in his books he goes really deeply into philosophical aspects of human nature. For me he is a philosopher in the first place
Awesome! I have been to Poland many times, mostly Wroclaw. One day, I was in the Sofitel eating at their restaurant, which is called...Pan Tadeusz...while reading...Pan Tadeusz. It was a great moment. I've read Solaris by Lem! But that's it. So far.
I believe you mentioned you had children at some point. I read my son the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson (A Child's Garden of Verses) when he was a toddler and it's beautiful. Stevenson really captures the wonderment of being a child as well the nostalgia of the remembrance of times past. I think my son enjoyed the lyricism of poetry, as did I, having never been exposed to much of it. I recommend it, especially when spoken aloud as you would when reading a child a bedtime story. A Good Play We built a ship upon the stairs All made of the back-bedroom chairs, And filled it full of sofa pillows To go a-sailing on the billows. We took a saw and several nails, And water in the nursery pails; And Tom said, “Let us also take An apple and a slice of cake;”- Which was enough for Tom and me To go a-sailing on, till tea. We sailed along for days and days, And had the very best of plays; But Tom fell out and hurt his knee, So there was no one left but me.
You can tell how much is on the tip of your tongue for each book that you pull out. It makes clear your deep affection for the works. That’s probably why people like me come to a channel like this.
This is a tremendous gift to end this horrible year in a nice way. Thank you so much Chris, I'm sure your channel provided a lot of joy when a lot most needed it (including me). I hope you do a video of your intended reads for 2021 like you did in this!
It has taken me countless tries, to be able to.........find interest in poetry. Again and again, attempt after attempt and once I changed my "entry point", into poetry, (Edgar Allen Poe, who else)then the "Gods", allowed that type of passion to emerge within my mind. This I'm thankful for. So all along, that was the key, the fact that I had to extend my love of an author's full body of work, into varied endeavors, so that I was allowed to find the type of passion needed. The full expansion gave way. Keep up the great work, and never stop fighting for the artistic disciplines.
Thank you for sharing your poetry shelf! I myself am not the greatest poetry reader: I find that reading poetry is a much more demanding task than reading a novel. It needs more attention and concetration to appreciate the esthetic element that is of the utmost importance to really have a pleasure to read it. Happy to see Leopardi in your shelf, I could suggest to check the poems by Borges (he was a great writer of short stories, but also his poetry is great). It seems strange that you do not have anything by Auden - I love modernists such as Eliot and Pound and Auden is at the same level! Let us not forget the great Spanish Garcia Lorca, the Syrian poet Adonis and the Russian Osip Mandelstam. I am currently reading Averno by Louise Gluck (Nobel Prize this year) : have you already read it? Keep up the great work!,
Thanks so much! I’m added Lorca and Mandelstam to the list! Borges - I actually do have his complete poetry but it was on my bedside table when I made the video. Glück - just got a volume of her poetry in the mail today thanks to comments like yours!
I highly recommend Robinson Jeffers and St. John of the Cross. Also, I'd be interested in seeing a video about how you approach reading and understanding poetry.
I have and have read Dark Night of the Soul, but not the poetry. Thanks for these suggestions. Next week I will post a video asking for suggestions on what to do on the channel next year, so I will note yours down now.
Hey! My wife got me that same complete William Blake for Christmas. It's so gorgeous. For other books, I'd recommend W.H. Auden's _On This Island_ ( _Look, Stanger!_ in the U.K.). It contains what is still my favorite line in all poetry: "The Earth turns over, our side feels the cold." Btw, I also has trouble with _3 Sections._ Much contemporary poetry continues to befuddle me. I really enjoy my subscription to Poetry Magazine because I usually find a handful of poems from which I can extract something close to the poet's intent (as far as I can tell). However, most of each issue bounces off me.
Loved this - and yes, Hopkins is essential contemplative reading. The Everyman’s Hopkins is a nice collection of his poems and letters. I would recommend adding Czeslaw Milosz to the collection - Second Space is my favorite stand alone book, but his complete works is incredible.
Love the tour. Thanks for the video. It reminded me how many poets I was missing. Seems like people don't take Sylvia Plath seriously, but I find her poems (and diary) powerful. I bought the cheap Complete Wordsworth Editions of: Wordsworth, Tennyson, Coleridge, Robert & Elizabeth Barrett Browning and ended up reading them so often they fell apart. You don't seem to own these. Lastly, need to brush up Longfellow.
I’m one of those who’ve only read The Bell Jar. 😳 All the others you’ve cited are the ones that I go to in my anthologies. After making the video I realized I had an anthology of English romantic poetry on my bedside. Thanks!
Havent watched the full video yet but I'm gonna do as you say in the beginning and recommend some poetry, mainly latimamerican poets. -Cesar Vallejo, one of, if not the best written thing in Spanish since Don Quixote -Alejandra Pizarnik, short and devastating -Olivero Girondo -Nicanor Parra
Thanks so much! Vallejo’s complete works is on the way now. Of the others, I remember reading a lot of commentary about Parra in Bolaño’s Between Parentheses. Keep the recommendations coming! (By the way, I just read my first pieces of Osvaldo Lamborghini. Are you familiar?)
@@LeafbyLeaf Vallejo's gonna blow you away and it's a great choice having his complete works since he has very distinct phases, each one amazing, he starts with a modernist style but by his second collection he obliterates language in a way most poets still trynna fogure out to this day. Of course Bolaño likes Parra, he's a very particular poet with a very particular and funny style! Havent read Lamborghini but after a quick google search I can see that Cesar Aira endorses him and recognizes his influence so imma give hom a read, shat did you think of his poetry?
Sweet! The Vallejo will be here tomorrow. I’ve only read the two short stories of Lamborghini that are forthcoming from Sublunary Editions. I don’t think anything else is in English yet. He was apparently Aira’s mentor.
Thank u very much for making me travelling with u to the land of poetry. I really enjoy seeing your video for it's approaching me to my favourate poets like Rilke,Neruda
You gave me some wonderful new poets (to me) to look into. I love that Blake edition, will have to look into getting that for my birthday or next Christmas! Bukowski is very miss for me. My favorite of his poems that I read was about a boxer. Save for that poem I’d never really think of him much. I like William Stafford’s poems for modern poets. They are quiet treasures. I suffered from insomnia this year and stumbled on Leonard Cohen’s poetry (late at night). I didn’t think I would like them and they are a bit uneven, but he is solid where he’s is really good. I was interested in where Bloom in an interview talked about jazz and how it (especially Charlie Parker) was the true expression of language. I am surely misquoting, but I wish he’d written a book about that. Anyway, thank you for this video. I really enjoy your shelf tours.
Great! Bloom indeed reveres jazz (Parker and Bud Powell especially) and cited it as America’s true contribution to the arts. There are some great interviews on RUclips where he talks about Whitman and Powell. I also love jazz and keep it playing on the record player in my library. Happy New Year
Fantastic video Chris. I have several of these and much more poetry as it is to me what big books are to you. The Mitchell translation of Rilke introduced me to his work in college and I remember being so enamored with the duino elegies that I began to think in rilkean terms walking across the cold Midwest campus until I had to stop at the food center and write furiously. That changed my writing life forever as Rilke became a constant companion for me. Much like Frost... but he is a product of my NH upbringing. The Rilke translation I would add would be Snow’s collected translations as well as Barrow’s translation of Book of Hours. We have similar tastes, so I am surprised that Wordsworth is not on your shelves! The Neruda and Roethke are on mine, happily. I would love to add a Jane Kenyon and Donald Hall. Of course, I have been profoundly moved by Louise Glück’s poetry (ALL of it!), in my opinion the most worthy Nobel’s since Morrison. If you want to dig into your region a little bit, pop up to Norfolk to hear Tim Siebles at ODU, he is a great poet and a good guy. Thousands more recommendations! But I will spare you. Mary Oliver... for instance.
Hey, Steve! I knew you were a Rilke fan. Thanks for the tips on those other translations. The reason I don’t have someone like Wordsworth in standalone if probably because I get my fill in the English verse anthologies. But I should branch out. Funny story: I nearly got my PhD at ODU but a strange twist out me off it. Glück I really need to check out given the recent accolade. Thanks for Hall and Kenyon too.
@@LeafbyLeaf of course, that makes sense given what you mentioned in the video. I am a Wordsworth junkie probably like you are a Blake junkie. As a love or romantic poets as well, I arrived there via WW. So many others by Blake, my best friend for instance. I recall you mentioning something about about a PhD program in VA and thought it might be ODU. Would be curious to learn more offline!
I think I remember you saying that at some point. I spent a lot of time in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach but only Norfolk a few times. Just bought a collection of Glück poetry by the way.
@@LeafbyLeaf fantastic! Which one? The tidewater area is funny. There are clear divides between the 7 cities and everyone has their loyalties. Mine was to the Ghent area of Norfolk, and of course Prince Books downtown. But many of my friends and peers were in the Va Beach and Chesapeake areas for the schools. Very cool, small world.
I am not very widely read in poetry, but I do think it’s the highest form of expression after music. Hope you get some good suggestions out of this video!
@@LeafbyLeaf I'm working on the Chaotic Age of Bloom's Western Canon as a guide and I'll revisit this video as a nice survey for some of those. If you were looking for new additions, I'd suggest Love Poems (or Transformations) by Anne Sexton, and Frail Sister by Karen Green.
I have Anne Sexton’s complete poetry. But I’ll snatch that other suggestions. If you’re using Bloom to work through poetry, then I doubt you’ll find anything of note in my video (except perhaps Theroux). 😁
Wislawa Szymborska - there is an excellent English translation of her work available. Also the American Poet Laureates of the recent decades - certainly Billy Collins for a daily injection of cheerful insight and of effortless charm.
Thanks for the recommendation of Polish poetry--I want to explore more Polish literature in general. As for American laureates, of course, I do like Tracy K. Smith, but I need to expand. Thanks so much for this!
Great to see Alexander Pope in your amazing library. He is a must-read for anyone wanting to be decently rounded in poetry. I've always found him profoundly simple. Every two lines rhyme, and that's that. There are no cute tricks and no plodding lack of rhyme. He hung out with Swift and Arbuthnot and other weirdos. He dealt with anti-Catholic prejudice and all manner of physical ailments, so had the suffering-poet thing down better than many. Pound's cantos are crazy, complex genius displayed over and over again, often very beautifully. Many were written in his prison camp and mental hospital. I have no idea what he was doing before them with those tiny one-line poems. His main activity back at that time seemed to be getting other people's stuff published 😄😸 You might look into Hayden Carruth, he did "experimental" stuff in a way that works even if you don't see the experiment.
Thanks! I've been considering a video of Pope's major work: "The Dunciad," "The Rape of the Lock," "An Essay on Criticism," "Essay on Man." So many books/poems, so little time!
You have excellent taste! I really want to read Hart crane, have heard great praise for him from American friends. I would recommend Florbela Espanca, symbolist portuguese poet, whose verses are beautiful.
You don't have to like Bukowski, but if you're going to try him, don't start with Last Night of the Earth Poems. I can't recall which poetry collection I liked first, but something earlier... Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed A Bit? I dunno. But I'd go with prose first. Maybe Factotum or Ham on Rye. Or shorts such as the collection Tales of Ordinary Madness. I remember liking "The Great Zen Wedding." But you might be past the time when you'd like these. I tend more often to recommend Buk to folks who say they don't like reading much.
Hello :) Bit late to this video but it was very enjoyable so thanks for sharing! I'm fairly young (29) and have never been impressed with the poetry of my peers. My poetry collection is fairly old really. I would recommend Mina Loy, Olga Orozco, Edith Sodergran and Maria Pawlikowska. I would also echo the love here for Larkin and Plath.
I must say that it is so cool to see other people also enjoying Edith Södergran. She is one of my all time favourite poets! I also thought the biographical film 'Landet som icke är', named after one of her poetry collections, presented her just magnificently.
I really like Crane, Hopkis, and Leopardi. You might enjoy Marilyn Hacker, John Berryman, John Burnside, Charles Simic, Tom Disch and Sir Philip Sidney. And for comic relief: Russell Edson and James Tate. Some german writing poets I don't know are translated: Christine Lavant, Wolfgang Hilbig, Ror Wolf, Herta Müller.
I wanted to say that you are a big inspiration to me for being more ambitious in my reading. My next novel is going to be Don Quixote (which I very much look forward to) and I also finally want to go through the other foundational literary works like Homer, Virgil and Dante. I also just checked out "Imaginärer Lebenslauf" by Rilke which is very striking indeed! Have a good start into the new year.
So glad to hear you’ve been inspired! For a deeper understanding there’s no better investment than to take the time to dig I to these foundational books. Ultimately they will lead to a better experience with contemporary stuff! Happy New Year to you!
i am very impressed with your collection. You have so many amazing books of poetry. For me Pessoa is a genius. As I mentioned in my other comment, I love Omar Khayyam's poetry. Also I will check out the Polish epic Pan Tadeusz. Pushkin is like the father of literature in Russia. His poetry is often recited by Russians. The only missing thing i can think of is probably some Japanese poetry, esp haiku which is my passion as you might have noticed in my instagram. If you are keen, three names is massive: Basho, Issa and Buson. Love your videos as always.
Thank you so much for this video. And I'm off to read more which is ALWAYS what I get out of your videos but this one in particular. I love your love haha!
Other remarkable poets I adore are george trakl, sylvia plath(awesome),osip mandelstam, sergej esenin, Vladimir majakovskij, Marina cvetaeva, adrienne rich and cesare pavese
Grazie, Marina! It just occurred to me that all my quips about Sexton and Theroux were actually meant for Rich and Theroux. I really thought I had a volume of Rich. Plath is popping up a lot. Having only read The Bell-Jar, I need to branch out into her poetry. Mandelstam I remember reading Bolaño talk about. Again: thanks!
In fact, it has grown so much that I had to buy another bookcase and move the collection out of the built-ins! I seriously owe you all a booktour video.
Yeats, Eliot, Stevens, Pound but no W H Auden? Milton but no John Donne (or other metaphysical poets)?. Personally I'd recommend some Philip Larkin and Stevie Smith
Auden, Donne, et al. are in my various anthologies, but you're right to point out the infraction. I should have separate volumes of them. Larkin is high on my list!
@@robert0priceI don't know much about most of these poets, but based on a Yale lecture I watched, I definitely want to read Marianne Moore. Do you have a specific edition you would recommend? I'm having trouble finding something comprehensive.
@@dylanmcdermott1110 I have the 1981 reprint of the 1967 “complete poems of MM” “definitive edition with the authors revisions” and I could use a second book to explain them to me but at least I can look up how to pronounce words on my phone.
Leopardi is magnificent - required study in every Italian school (although notoriously pessimistic). Also I love Pinsky’s translation of the Commedia. Have you read Purgatory and Paradise as well? I’m doing a series of videos on them, one for each canto (long project!)
He is magnificent! I also have his Zibaldone-one day I will finish it; though it’s sort of like Montaigne; you don’t really ever finish it. Yes, I’ve read the whole of the Commedia, but for my little series I just focused on Inferno. Glad there’s someone like you taking this time to present such a literary pillar!
Have you read Paul Celan? Pierre Joris just recently released the first of his two volume translation of Celan’s complete poetry (he published volume one first). Celan is a world unto himself, and I think, given the substantial overlap between your tastes and mine (at least, based on the dozen or so of your videos I’ve watched), I think you might fall in love as I have.
I have not read Celan--yet--but I did get a copy of "Memory Rose into Threshold Speech"; had to place a reserve on the other volume, "Breathturn into Timestead," since the publisher is out of stock and I can't find an affordable used copy. From what I know, I agree with you--I'm going to love Celan.
You have some great recommendations here already, so I’ll try to keep it short and relevant. Anthologies can be very useful indeed. For Latin American Poetry I would like to recommend The FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry: An Anthology, edited by Ilan Stavans, and Twentieth-Century German Poetry: An Anthology, edited by Michael Hofmann. Also, you didn’t mention Lautréamont when talking about French poetry, have you read him? he is my favorite French poet (although he was born in Uruguay). I also think Antonin Artaud does not get enough credit as a poet. As for poetry in English, I’ll just say that my favorite US poet is Robert Penn Warren; one of my treasures is his complete poetry, with an introduction by Harold Bloom. If you like Melville you’ll love Penn Warren’s poetry. Finally, I just want to add that I don’t rave about Neruda. I’m not the only Spanish reader who doesn’t, though. I think that, as with García Márquez, he must gain a lot when translated to English.
Thanks so much for this, Focaminante! I’ve been eyeballing those Latin American poetry and short story anthologies for a while. I have not read Lautréamont for some reason. I remember Bloom commenting on RPW a lot. Adding these to the cart!
It's on the horizon with my Western Core series! Moby-Dick is my favorite American novel, bar none. Check out my video on Jean Giono's MELVILLE too. All my best to you!
I remember reading a biography of Ezra Pound a couple years back (something about the bug house) and it really stimulates my interest in Berryman, Dream Songs in particular. Thanks!
The idea that I’ll never be able to read all the greatest poets in history is a little distressing to me. I’ve never read O’Hara, unfortunately, but I’ve read Mayakovsky. “Past One O’Clock” is my favorite poem by him. I just read a delightful article about someone who found out about O'Hara's work on a social media app (the same happened to me). I added “Meditations in an Emergency” to my reading list. www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/22/i-always-felt-i-wasnt-clever-enough-for-poetry-but-this-was-like-making-a-new-exciting-friend
“So many books, so little time.” This reality is something I’ve often grappled with myself. And it is why I am so selective about what I choose to read. But, on the other hand, it means we will be able to spend a lifetime reading great literature! Thanks for sharing this.
I've read and own editions of all of those except the Book of Songs. In one of my old Q&A videos, I show and talk about my gorgeous slip-cased edition of the Shahnameh. Tao Te Ching I've savored for year and years, and it is actually in my philosophy section. For some reason my Beat poetry anthology was erroneously shelved with my short story anthologies. Thanks for the rec on the Shi-Jing!
Was it William Blake who did the painting of the red dragon? Just found your channel - I watched the ten big books prt 2; your literary knowledge is just astounding and makes me wanna up my game 😂
I can't help but envy the sensibility of those who read poetry voraciously. In my case, it's always been a weak spot in my reading, accompanied with the embarrassment of not being able to participate in its delights. Any recomendations of books on getting into reading poetry? What mindset it demands, the reasoning behind its composition, and in general how to read poetry haha.
I know exactly what you mean. I didn't "take to" poetry for quite a while myself. And I haven't read much on reading poetry, but I'll give you advice from my own experience since it sounds similar to yours. In general, there is a poet/poem out there waiting for you to discovery it as your gateway into the greatness of the poetic world. For me, it was Emily Dickinson. But I had to read through a lot of poetry that just sort of passed before my eyes without latching onto my soul first. With Dickinson, something opened up before me. I *felt* the poem more than I *read* it. These were the exact words necessary to express a feeling from one person to another. To my mind, the only books I've read about reading poetry is Terry Eagleton's How to Read a Poem, Harold Bloom's The Art of Reading Poetry, and William Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity (not directly on how to read a poem, but this increased my understanding of the possibilities of poetry). There are probably others. Usually there are introductions to collections of poetry that will lend advice. With poetry, the poet has been stirred by something and is desperately trying to use the superficiality of language to convey it to another person. Seems obvious, but it is extremely difficult to do well, and when it is done well the reader feels it too. In terms of practical advice: read the poems aloud in a clear, strong, loud voice. Go somewhere where you can be alone and chant the poems out load. From the very origins of verse, this is how it was done. Poetry is music at its heart. To sum up: Read through a bunch of different poetry and when you seize on something that stirs you--take it somewhere and read it aloud over and over. Eventually something will click and you'll have a guiding light that will compel your hunger and search for "the click" again and again. Hope this helps in some way.
@@LeafbyLeaf Thank you, Chris, for your thoughtful response. I deeply appreciate it. Who would have thought that reading aloud was so essential to poetry. I remember an interview that Borges gave where he expressed the same idea, saying that those who have never read poetry aloud have not really felt the joy of poetry. The irony lies on the fact that "reading aloud" is usually frowned upon in traditional school systems. I'll give it a try. Your response has definitely enticed me to push on and keep on looking.
Hello, you mentioned you have not found any contemporary poetry that resonated with you and asked for recommendations. I firmly believe that Li young lee is the greatest living American poet. You mentioned that you find poet’s affinity and romanticization of past poets redundant or off putting. Well with li young lee you have a true sense of a unique voice. There is something so approachable but yet subtly regal in his writing. His writing reads like a fleeting dream of his that he lets you, the reader contemplate, mourn, celebrate and resurrect with him. You can tell that he has been thoroughly influenced by biblical scripture and (makes sense considering his father was a pastor after having been Mao Zedong’s personal physician, later fleeing as a political exile). I recommend you start with what i believe to be his best collection which is the book “Behind my eyes: Poems”.. what is great about this collection of poems is that the hardcover copy comes with an audio cd version of him reading his poems. My god. What a beautiful reading voice this man has. You will know what I mean if you decide to explore this collection. I heard his voice once reading after michael silverblatt featured him and I have been in love with his work ever since.(PLEASE get a copy that comes with the audio cd it’s a completely different experience to hear him read his work). This is not a long or hard read and can probably be read in 1-2 days. I can only hope you love Lee’s work as much as i have.
Thanks for the great video! Have you read Henri Cole? I heard of him through Harold Bloom and he did a great interview with Michael Silverblatt recently. I haven’t yet read him but a copy of his latest book is on its way.
You've got Neruda but no Borges? Gotta say that surprises me a little. Don't get me wrong: Neruda is brilliant. But add Borges' Selected Poems. Also, I don't think I saw any Sylvia Plath or Spoon River Anthology. Those are my recommendations.
Oh, actually I have the complete Borges (short stories, poetry, and essays) but it’s on my bedside table along with my anthology of English romantic poetry. Didn’t think of bringing those in until after the video. Thanks for those other suggestions!
Like a lot of people, I came to Borges via Ficciones and was instantly hooked for life. I said that I had the book on my bedside table as if it was one book but it is three different books (the Penguins).
Haha, if you look closely you’ll see that my cummings was sandwiched between Rilke and Yeats and got overlooked in the video! I, too, love the inventiveness of his poetry!
Thanks. Good movie. WOW - Mickiewicz, what a surprise. Maybe you should read more polish books. Classic (authors) - Henryk Sienkiewicz, Bolesław Prus, Władysław Reymont, Bruno Schulz, Zbigniew Herbert, Sławomir Mrożek Reportage (authors) - Ryszard Kapuściński, Mariusz Szczygieł, Jacek Hugo Bader and others like - Stanisław Lem, Andrzej Sapkowski, Olga Tokarczuk, Tadeusz Borowski, Czesław Miłosz, Wiesław Myśliwski
Dziękuję! Mickiewicz is the extent of my Polish poetry, but I’ve read Mrożek (Tango), Schulz (Crocodiles), Lem (Solaris), and Conrad (if that counts). I appreciate all of your suggestions, as I do need to expand my Polish literature. Someone told me about an old Polish work about the Undivine Comedy (playing on Dante) but I cannot remember anything else.
Thanks for the tour. I'm new to your channel and look forward to watching more. 10 of my favourite 20th century poets: Giuseppe Ungaretti Fernando Pessoa Wislawa Szymborska Jorge Luis Borges Carlos Drummond de Andrade John Ashbery Czeslaw Milosz Yehuda Amichai Rainer Maria Rilke C.P. Cavafy
I feel like the majority of my poetry exposure is reading non-fiction written by poets who like to drop poetry quotes. (e.g. Heather Christle's The Crying Book)
@@LeafbyLeaf Nice! If you do get around to Levis, I would suggest "Winter Stars" or "Elegy." If you're only going to read one then go with "Elegy." Stanford's magnum opus is "The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You." His shorter works are really great too, though. I just discovered your channel and I love it!
what do you suggest reading for somewhat a beginner on poetry i mostly only listened to song lyrics (tom waits, micheal gira). i tried reading leaves of grass but i am not ready for it yet :o
I suggest getting anthologies of the general type of poetry you want to read, and then read through it and note what you are drawn to more than what you are not. Then dig into more poetry like the poems that spoke to you. With poetry (I've found) it is about reading widely to find what connects with you--there will be a moment when a poem open up the world and purpose of poetry to each of us. Hope that helps!
@@LeafbyLeaf well, i´ve been reading alot of american Literature. i would like to read some english- the obvious being shakespeare, although i plan to watch some of the movies made before hand. although not exactly poetry i intend to read True hallicatinations by terrence mckenna.
Spread your wings a little, from the tedium of the ye olde to below the equator: May I sugest, for a bit of colour, “Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems” by Wole Soyinka (Nobel Laureate, Literature), page 15 “Funeral Sermon, Soweto” (Andre Deutsch, from Adobe Bookshoppe; “A Tale of Two Gardens” By Octavio Paz (1990 Nobel), New Directions. Page 86: “We are condemned to kill time: so we die, little by little”. And “Midsommer” by Derek Walcott…. Anotre Nobel! ……. The slim Noonday publication is worth repeated bedside enjoyment. Miss Jenny.
New to the channel and really digging it! Anybody taking the time to review Stoner by Williams is getting my attention. If you were to recommend one novel by Henry Miller to somebody, which of his would you suggest?
Thanks! Shelley is one of those whom I read in my anthologies. I also have an anthology on my bedside that I forgot about that highlights Shelley. But, you’ve correctly pointed out that it’s time to invest is a more robust collection and commentary on his poetry and prose writings (most of the latter of which I’ve gleaned from Bloom).
@@LeafbyLeaf Yeah bloom got me interested in his works, most of my literary taste other than my taste for science fiction comes from Bloom getting me excited about literary classics. He is a very powerful poet, check out The Triumph of Life a lesser-known poem but it is one of the most sublime you will read.
Sorry for the juxtaposition. Those are just the two writers that that particular friend and I always talked about. You know my feelings on Henry Miller!
J'adore Mallarmé ! Not sure why my copies of Apollonaire, Verlain, Mallarmé, et al., weren't on my shelves when I recorded this. My latest French find is Pierre Reverdy!
@@LeafbyLeaf Ah nice man, well then I highly recommend Terrence Malick, I think he's right up your alley. The Tree of Life is so good, I think it even rivals the great novels
I know a lot of people who’ve seen Thin Red Line, but it’s rare that I meet someone who has heard of-let alone seen-Tree of Life. Just when I thought it couldn’t expand any more, it hit me with the dinosaur scene. Mind blowing.
As a Polish I'm deeply moved by the fact of Pan Tadeusz being at your bookshelf. Regarding polish literature I highly recommend Stanisław Lem. Although he is mostly known as a sci-fi writer, in his books he goes really deeply into philosophical aspects of human nature. For me he is a philosopher in the first place
Awesome! I have been to Poland many times, mostly Wroclaw. One day, I was in the Sofitel eating at their restaurant, which is called...Pan Tadeusz...while reading...Pan Tadeusz. It was a great moment. I've read Solaris by Lem! But that's it. So far.
I'm interested in reading Solaris and other Polish works, as well.
I believe you mentioned you had children at some point. I read my son the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson (A Child's Garden of Verses) when he was a toddler and it's beautiful. Stevenson really captures the wonderment of being a child as well the nostalgia of the remembrance of times past. I think my son enjoyed the lyricism of poetry, as did I, having never been exposed to much of it. I recommend it, especially when spoken aloud as you would when reading a child a bedtime story.
A Good Play
We built a ship upon the stairs
All made of the back-bedroom chairs,
And filled it full of sofa pillows
To go a-sailing on the billows.
We took a saw and several nails,
And water in the nursery pails;
And Tom said, “Let us also take
An apple and a slice of cake;”-
Which was enough for Tom and me
To go a-sailing on, till tea.
We sailed along for days and days,
And had the very best of plays;
But Tom fell out and hurt his knee,
So there was no one left but me.
Yes, I have a 10-year-old daughter. This collection sounds wonderful! I'm ordering it right away. Thank you!
I would say that out of your bookshelf tours, this one added the most to my to-read list.
I need to do an updated poetry tour because I've sort of gone into a poetry boom since this one!
You can tell how much is on the tip of your tongue for each book that you pull out. It makes clear your deep affection for the works. That’s probably why people like me come to a channel like this.
I am a very grateful reader. It’s a joy to share it with you all.
Awesooooomeeee! What an amazing christman's gift!
Hope you enjoy it!
This is a tremendous gift to end this horrible year in a nice way. Thank you so much Chris, I'm sure your channel provided a lot of joy when a lot most needed it (including me).
I hope you do a video of your intended reads for 2021 like you did in this!
Very nice of you to say! In fact: next week’s video will be about 2020 and 2021.
I actually thought you said "This is a tremendous gift to end this nice year in a horrible way", and when i realized that, i lol'd.
😂😜
Sooo happy I found your channel. Thank you so much.
I’m glad you found me, too! It’s a pleasure. All my best to you and happy holidays!
Thank you for sharing your book shelves. Very enjoyable!
My pleasure! 🙏
It has taken me countless tries, to be able to.........find interest in poetry. Again and again, attempt after attempt and once I changed my "entry point", into poetry, (Edgar Allen Poe, who else)then the "Gods", allowed that type of passion to emerge within my mind. This I'm thankful for. So all along, that was the key, the fact that I had to extend my love of an author's full body of work, into varied endeavors, so that I was allowed to find the type of passion needed. The full expansion gave way. Keep up the great work, and never stop fighting for the artistic disciplines.
Thank you for sharing your poetry shelf! I myself am not the greatest poetry reader: I find that reading poetry is a much more demanding task than reading a novel. It needs more attention and concetration to appreciate the esthetic element that is of the utmost importance to really have a pleasure to read it.
Happy to see Leopardi in your shelf, I could suggest to check the poems by Borges (he was a great writer of short stories, but also his poetry is great).
It seems strange that you do not have anything by Auden - I love modernists such as Eliot and Pound and Auden is at the same level!
Let us not forget the great Spanish Garcia Lorca, the Syrian poet Adonis and the Russian Osip Mandelstam.
I am currently reading Averno by Louise Gluck (Nobel Prize this year) : have you already read it?
Keep up the great work!,
Thanks so much!
I’m added Lorca and Mandelstam to the list!
Borges - I actually do have his complete poetry but it was on my bedside table when I made the video.
Glück - just got a volume of her poetry in the mail today thanks to comments like yours!
I highly recommend Robinson Jeffers and St. John of the Cross. Also, I'd be interested in seeing a video about how you approach reading and understanding poetry.
I have and have read Dark Night of the Soul, but not the poetry. Thanks for these suggestions. Next week I will post a video asking for suggestions on what to do on the channel next year, so I will note yours down now.
Seconded to Jeffers. An utterly singular and uncompromising American voice.
Oh, that Hart Crane! Someday I´ll add it to my colection.
It is among my most favorite poetry. As silent as a mirror is believed... The mind brushed by sparrow wings... And rum was Plato in our heads...
@@LeafbyLeafWhich poem is that from?
*looks at bookshelf that’s entirely filled with textbooks and technical/programming books.*
I dream for a bookshelf like Leaf by Leaf’s
Hahaha! Your shelf sounds like mine at work!
Oh my...!! My wish list tripled its size! Thanks for the tour & the recommendations!
My pleasure! Happy reading!
Thom Gunn is worth looking in to. The Man with Night sweats I think is reallygood, but there are also some decent collections available.
Thanks so much for the rec!
Hey! My wife got me that same complete William Blake for Christmas. It's so gorgeous.
For other books, I'd recommend W.H. Auden's _On This Island_ ( _Look, Stanger!_ in the U.K.). It contains what is still my favorite line in all poetry: "The Earth turns over, our side feels the cold."
Btw, I also has trouble with _3 Sections._ Much contemporary poetry continues to befuddle me. I really enjoy my subscription to Poetry Magazine because I usually find a handful of poems from which I can extract something close to the poet's intent (as far as I can tell). However, most of each issue bounces off me.
Sounds like you married the perfect woman!
Thanks for the recommendation. For some reason I haven’t read any Auden.
funny, i read Samarkand from Lebanon which is about Omar Khayyam. I love his poetry and his philosophy.
Thanks for the tip on the Maalouf book! Reading Khayyam is...nourishing.
Loved this - and yes, Hopkins is essential contemplative reading. The Everyman’s Hopkins is a nice collection of his poems and letters.
I would recommend adding Czeslaw Milosz to the collection - Second Space is my favorite stand alone book, but his complete works is incredible.
Thanks! I’ve got Milosz on the list. Time to buy an omnibus.
Love the tour. Thanks for the video. It reminded me how many poets I was missing. Seems like people don't take Sylvia Plath seriously, but I find her poems (and diary) powerful. I bought the cheap Complete Wordsworth Editions of: Wordsworth, Tennyson, Coleridge, Robert & Elizabeth Barrett Browning and ended up reading them so often they fell apart. You don't seem to own these. Lastly, need to brush up Longfellow.
I’m one of those who’ve only read The Bell Jar. 😳
All the others you’ve cited are the ones that I go to in my anthologies. After making the video I realized I had an anthology of English romantic poetry on my bedside.
Thanks!
Havent watched the full video yet but I'm gonna do as you say in the beginning and recommend some poetry, mainly latimamerican poets.
-Cesar Vallejo, one of, if not the best written thing in Spanish since Don Quixote
-Alejandra Pizarnik, short and devastating
-Olivero Girondo
-Nicanor Parra
Thanks so much! Vallejo’s complete works is on the way now. Of the others,
I remember reading a lot of commentary about Parra in Bolaño’s Between Parentheses. Keep the recommendations coming! (By the way, I just read my first pieces of Osvaldo Lamborghini. Are you familiar?)
@@LeafbyLeaf Vallejo's gonna blow you away and it's a great choice having his complete works since he has very distinct phases, each one amazing, he starts with a modernist style but by his second collection he obliterates language in a way most poets still trynna fogure out to this day.
Of course Bolaño likes Parra, he's a very particular poet with a very particular and funny style!
Havent read Lamborghini but after a quick google search I can see that Cesar Aira endorses him and recognizes his influence so imma give hom a read, shat did you think of his poetry?
Sweet! The Vallejo will be here tomorrow.
I’ve only read the two short stories of Lamborghini that are forthcoming from Sublunary Editions. I don’t think anything else is in English yet. He was apparently Aira’s mentor.
VALLEJO
PARRA
Thank u very much for making me travelling with u to the land of poetry. I really enjoy seeing your video for it's approaching me to my favourate poets like Rilke,Neruda
It’s a great pleasure, my friend!
You gave me some wonderful new poets (to me) to look into. I love that Blake edition, will have to look into getting that for my birthday or next Christmas!
Bukowski is very miss for me. My favorite of his poems that I read was about a boxer. Save for that poem I’d never really think of him much.
I like William Stafford’s poems for modern poets. They are quiet treasures.
I suffered from insomnia this year and stumbled on Leonard Cohen’s poetry (late at night). I didn’t think I would like them and they are a bit uneven, but he is solid where he’s is really good.
I was interested in where Bloom in an interview talked about jazz and how it (especially Charlie Parker) was the true expression of language. I am surely misquoting, but I wish he’d written a book about that.
Anyway, thank you for this video. I really enjoy your shelf tours.
Great! Bloom indeed reveres jazz (Parker and Bud Powell especially) and cited it as America’s true contribution to the arts. There are some great interviews on RUclips where he talks about Whitman and Powell. I also love jazz and keep it playing on the record player in my library.
Happy New Year
Oh, and thanks for the recommendations! Sounds like you’re putting the insomnia to good use at least. Hang in there.
Fantastic video Chris. I have several of these and much more poetry as it is to me what big books are to you. The Mitchell translation of Rilke introduced me to his work in college and I remember being so enamored with the duino elegies that I began to think in rilkean terms walking across the cold Midwest campus until I had to stop at the food center and write furiously. That changed my writing life forever as Rilke became a constant companion for me. Much like Frost... but he is a product of my NH upbringing. The Rilke translation I would add would be Snow’s collected translations as well as Barrow’s translation of Book of Hours.
We have similar tastes, so I am surprised that Wordsworth is not on your shelves! The Neruda and Roethke are on mine, happily. I would love to add a Jane Kenyon and Donald Hall. Of course, I have been profoundly moved by Louise Glück’s poetry (ALL of it!), in my opinion the most worthy Nobel’s since Morrison.
If you want to dig into your region a little bit, pop up to Norfolk to hear Tim Siebles at ODU, he is a great poet and a good guy.
Thousands more recommendations! But I will spare you. Mary Oliver... for instance.
Hey, Steve! I knew you were a Rilke fan. Thanks for the tips on those other translations. The reason I don’t have someone like Wordsworth in standalone if probably because I get my fill in the English verse anthologies. But I should branch out. Funny story: I nearly got my PhD at ODU but a strange twist out me off it. Glück I really need to check out given the recent accolade. Thanks for Hall and Kenyon too.
@@LeafbyLeaf of course, that makes sense given what you mentioned in the video. I am a Wordsworth junkie probably like you are a Blake junkie. As a love or romantic poets as well, I arrived there via WW. So many others by Blake, my best friend for instance.
I recall you mentioning something about about a PhD program in VA and thought it might be ODU. Would be curious to learn more offline!
@@LeafbyLeaf oh! I forgot to mention, I lived on and off in the Norfolk area for nearly 25 years with the Navy... very familiar with ODU.
I think I remember you saying that at some point. I spent a lot of time in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach but only Norfolk a few times. Just bought a collection of Glück poetry by the way.
@@LeafbyLeaf fantastic! Which one? The tidewater area is funny. There are clear divides between the 7 cities and everyone has their loyalties. Mine was to the Ghent area of Norfolk, and of course Prince Books downtown. But many of my friends and peers were in the Va Beach and Chesapeake areas for the schools. Very cool, small world.
Earlier I was looking at the GoodReads best of poetry lists planning my 2021 TBR, it's like you were reading my mind!
I am not very widely read in poetry, but I do think it’s the highest form of expression after music. Hope you get some good suggestions out of this video!
@@LeafbyLeaf I'm working on the Chaotic Age of Bloom's Western Canon as a guide and I'll revisit this video as a nice survey for some of those. If you were looking for new additions, I'd suggest Love Poems (or Transformations) by Anne Sexton, and Frail Sister by Karen Green.
I have Anne Sexton’s complete poetry. But I’ll snatch that other suggestions. If you’re using Bloom to work through poetry, then I doubt you’ll find anything of note in my video (except perhaps Theroux). 😁
Wislawa Szymborska - there is an excellent English translation of her work available.
Also the American Poet Laureates of the recent decades - certainly Billy Collins for a daily injection of cheerful insight and of effortless charm.
Thanks for the recommendation of Polish poetry--I want to explore more Polish literature in general. As for American laureates, of course, I do like Tracy K. Smith, but I need to expand. Thanks so much for this!
Great to see Alexander Pope in your amazing library. He is a must-read for anyone wanting to be decently rounded in poetry. I've always found him profoundly simple. Every two lines rhyme, and that's that. There are no cute tricks and no plodding lack of rhyme. He hung out with Swift and Arbuthnot and other weirdos. He dealt with anti-Catholic prejudice and all manner of physical ailments, so had the suffering-poet thing down better than many. Pound's cantos are crazy, complex genius displayed over and over again, often very beautifully. Many were written in his prison camp and mental hospital. I have no idea what he was doing before them with those tiny one-line poems. His main activity back at that time seemed to be getting other people's stuff published 😄😸 You might look into Hayden Carruth, he did "experimental" stuff in a way that works even if you don't see the experiment.
Thanks! I've been considering a video of Pope's major work: "The Dunciad," "The Rape of the Lock," "An Essay on Criticism," "Essay on Man." So many books/poems, so little time!
The Rape of Lock is hilarious. I should get that edition in the vid.
You have excellent taste! I really want to read Hart crane, have heard great praise for him from American friends. I would recommend Florbela Espanca, symbolist portuguese poet, whose verses are beautiful.
Yes, Crane is prime. Thanks for the recommendation! Any particular translation? (I wish I could reading Portuguese.) Obrigado!
@@LeafbyLeaf unfortunately not much of her work is available in english, but there is an edition translated by Billie Maciunas. De nada!
I recommend Lautréamont and Trakl
Thanks so much!
You don't have to like Bukowski, but if you're going to try him, don't start with Last Night of the Earth Poems. I can't recall which poetry collection I liked first, but something earlier... Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed A Bit? I dunno. But I'd go with prose first. Maybe Factotum or Ham on Rye. Or shorts such as the collection Tales of Ordinary Madness. I remember liking "The Great Zen Wedding." But you might be past the time when you'd like these. I tend more often to recommend Buk to folks who say they don't like reading much.
Hey, thanks so much for the suggestions. I will check out Factotum. Definitely don’t want to write someone off based on one work. Thanks!
Bukowski is one of those who can say a lot with a little. And good recommendations. Factotum is one of my favorites.
Thanks for affirming the recommendation!
Hello :) Bit late to this video but it was very enjoyable so thanks for sharing! I'm fairly young (29) and have never been impressed with the poetry of my peers. My poetry collection is fairly old really. I would recommend Mina Loy, Olga Orozco, Edith Sodergran and Maria Pawlikowska. I would also echo the love here for Larkin and Plath.
Thanks for dropping by and giving recommendations, Emma! All my best to you.
I must say that it is so cool to see other people also enjoying Edith Södergran. She is one of my all time favourite poets! I also thought the biographical film 'Landet som icke är', named after one of her poetry collections, presented her just magnificently.
It’s the beauty of the reading community!
I really like Crane, Hopkis, and Leopardi. You might enjoy Marilyn Hacker, John Berryman, John Burnside, Charles Simic, Tom Disch and Sir Philip Sidney. And for comic relief: Russell Edson and James Tate. Some german writing poets I don't know are translated: Christine Lavant, Wolfgang Hilbig, Ror Wolf, Herta Müller.
Oh, and check out Delmore Schwartz and Cyrus Console.
Thanks so much for this list! Berryman has been on my radar for a while. And I have a prose work of Edson’s I need to dig into.
Thomas Wyatt!
I wanted to say that you are a big inspiration to me for being more ambitious in my reading. My next novel is going to be Don Quixote (which I very much look forward to) and I also finally want to go through the other foundational literary works like Homer, Virgil and Dante. I also just checked out "Imaginärer Lebenslauf" by Rilke which is very striking indeed! Have a good start into the new year.
So glad to hear you’ve been inspired! For a deeper understanding there’s no better investment than to take the time to dig I to these foundational books. Ultimately they will lead to a better experience with contemporary stuff!
Happy New Year to you!
@@LeafbyLeaf Thank you, I will! No need to rush and I'm a slow reader anyway^^
Sylvia Plath depicted landscapes wonderfully.
i am very impressed with your collection. You have so many amazing books of poetry. For me Pessoa is a genius. As I mentioned in my other comment, I love Omar Khayyam's poetry. Also I will check out the Polish epic Pan Tadeusz. Pushkin is like the father of literature in Russia. His poetry is often recited by Russians. The only missing thing i can think of is probably some Japanese poetry, esp haiku which is my passion as you might have noticed in my instagram. If you are keen, three names is massive: Basho, Issa and Buson. Love your videos as always.
I think it’s close to the beginning of the video, but I have a hardcover of the complete Basho. Thanks for these other names!
@@LeafbyLeaf oops! i must have been distracted. If you have Basho, then you have everything.
Thank you so much for this video. And I'm off to read more which is ALWAYS what I get out of your videos but this one in particular. I love your love haha!
My small rec would be some Czeslaw Milosz!
Thanks so much! Enjoy your reading!
Other remarkable poets I adore are george trakl, sylvia plath(awesome),osip mandelstam, sergej esenin, Vladimir majakovskij, Marina cvetaeva, adrienne rich and cesare pavese
Grazie, Marina!
It just occurred to me that all my quips about Sexton and Theroux were actually meant for Rich and Theroux. I really thought I had a volume of Rich.
Plath is popping up a lot. Having only read The Bell-Jar, I need to branch out into her poetry.
Mandelstam I remember reading Bolaño talk about.
Again: thanks!
@@LeafbyLeaf thanks!
i wonder if your poetry collection has grown! hoping there'd be an updated video❤❤
In fact, it has grown so much that I had to buy another bookcase and move the collection out of the built-ins! I seriously owe you all a booktour video.
@@LeafbyLeaf omggg i am thrilled! can't wait, thank youu
Hart crane is a faves of mine!
Yes! I love Crane. “The mind brushed by sparrow wings.”
Hart Crane is weird
Try Thomas Hardy!
Yeats, Eliot, Stevens, Pound but no W H Auden? Milton but no John Donne (or other metaphysical poets)?. Personally I'd recommend some Philip Larkin and Stevie Smith
Auden, Donne, et al. are in my various anthologies, but you're right to point out the infraction. I should have separate volumes of them. Larkin is high on my list!
Gertrude Stein and HD to go with Ezra Pound. Marrianne Moore and Amy Lowell all “making it new”
@@robert0priceI don't know much about most of these poets, but based on a Yale lecture I watched, I definitely want to read Marianne Moore. Do you have a specific edition you would recommend? I'm having trouble finding something comprehensive.
@@dylanmcdermott1110 I have the 1981 reprint of the 1967 “complete poems of MM” “definitive edition with the authors revisions” and I could use a second book to explain them to me but at least I can look up how to pronounce words on my phone.
Leopardi is magnificent - required study in every Italian school (although notoriously pessimistic). Also I love Pinsky’s translation of the Commedia. Have you read Purgatory and Paradise as well? I’m doing a series of videos on them, one for each canto (long project!)
He is magnificent! I also have his Zibaldone-one day I will finish it; though it’s sort of like Montaigne; you don’t really ever finish it.
Yes, I’ve read the whole of the Commedia, but for my little series I just focused on Inferno. Glad there’s someone like you taking this time to present such a literary pillar!
@@LeafbyLeaf Great - I’ll watch your series on Inferno today.
You’re in luck-it’s just one video!
@@tomlabooks3263I like Pinsky’s translation very much but don’t know who to read for Purgatorio and Paradiso
@@robert0price Mandelbaum is excellent for Dante.
Have you read Paul Celan? Pierre Joris just recently released the first of his two volume translation of Celan’s complete poetry (he published volume one first). Celan is a world unto himself, and I think, given the substantial overlap between your tastes and mine (at least, based on the dozen or so of your videos I’ve watched), I think you might fall in love as I have.
I have not read Celan--yet--but I did get a copy of "Memory Rose into Threshold Speech"; had to place a reserve on the other volume, "Breathturn into Timestead," since the publisher is out of stock and I can't find an affordable used copy. From what I know, I agree with you--I'm going to love Celan.
You might also like Paul Eluard
You have some great recommendations here already, so I’ll try to keep it short and relevant. Anthologies can be very useful indeed. For Latin American Poetry I would like to recommend The FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry: An Anthology, edited by Ilan Stavans, and Twentieth-Century German Poetry: An Anthology, edited by Michael Hofmann. Also, you didn’t mention Lautréamont when talking about French poetry, have you read him? he is my favorite French poet (although he was born in Uruguay). I also think Antonin Artaud does not get enough credit as a poet. As for poetry in English, I’ll just say that my favorite US poet is Robert Penn Warren; one of my treasures is his complete poetry, with an introduction by Harold Bloom. If you like Melville you’ll love Penn Warren’s poetry. Finally, I just want to add that I don’t rave about Neruda. I’m not the only Spanish reader who doesn’t, though. I think that, as with García Márquez, he must gain a lot when translated to English.
Thanks so much for this, Focaminante! I’ve been eyeballing those Latin American poetry and short story anthologies for a while. I have not read Lautréamont for some reason. I remember Bloom commenting on RPW a lot. Adding these to the cart!
I wish you would do a video on Moby-Dick; I read it last year and loved it. Now I'm curious to read his poetry.
It's on the horizon with my Western Core series! Moby-Dick is my favorite American novel, bar none. Check out my video on Jean Giono's MELVILLE too. All my best to you!
@@LeafbyLeaf Will do. Thanks! Also, as far as poetry goes, I recommend you check out The Incognito Lounge by Denis Johnson.
Awesome piece of poetry the dream songs by john berryman
I remember reading a biography of Ezra Pound a couple years back (something about the bug house) and it really stimulates my interest in Berryman, Dream Songs in particular. Thanks!
Wag
You definitely gotta get on that O'Hara - Mayakovsky by him is my favorite poem so I highly suggest checking that one out at the least!
Thanks for the nudge and the suggested starting point!
The idea that I’ll never be able to read all the greatest poets in history is a little distressing to me. I’ve never read O’Hara, unfortunately, but I’ve read Mayakovsky. “Past One O’Clock” is my favorite poem by him.
I just read a delightful article about someone who found out about O'Hara's work on a social media app (the same happened to me). I added “Meditations in an Emergency” to my reading list.
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/22/i-always-felt-i-wasnt-clever-enough-for-poetry-but-this-was-like-making-a-new-exciting-friend
“So many books, so little time.” This reality is something I’ve often grappled with myself. And it is why I am so selective about what I choose to read. But, on the other hand, it means we will be able to spend a lifetime reading great literature! Thanks for sharing this.
Try Alan Ginsberg or The Book of Songs (Shi-Jing), Tao te Ching, Book of the Five Rings, Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings.
I've read and own editions of all of those except the Book of Songs. In one of my old Q&A videos, I show and talk about my gorgeous slip-cased edition of the Shahnameh. Tao Te Ching I've savored for year and years, and it is actually in my philosophy section. For some reason my Beat poetry anthology was erroneously shelved with my short story anthologies. Thanks for the rec on the Shi-Jing!
Was it William Blake who did the painting of the red dragon? Just found your channel - I watched the ten big books prt 2; your literary knowledge is just astounding and makes me wanna up my game 😂
The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed by the Sun? Glad you found me. Carpe librum!
I can't help but envy the sensibility of those who read poetry voraciously. In my case, it's always been a weak spot in my reading, accompanied with the embarrassment of not being able to participate in its delights. Any recomendations of books on getting into reading poetry? What mindset it demands, the reasoning behind its composition, and in general how to read poetry haha.
I know exactly what you mean. I didn't "take to" poetry for quite a while myself. And I haven't read much on reading poetry, but I'll give you advice from my own experience since it sounds similar to yours. In general, there is a poet/poem out there waiting for you to discovery it as your gateway into the greatness of the poetic world. For me, it was Emily Dickinson. But I had to read through a lot of poetry that just sort of passed before my eyes without latching onto my soul first. With Dickinson, something opened up before me. I *felt* the poem more than I *read* it. These were the exact words necessary to express a feeling from one person to another.
To my mind, the only books I've read about reading poetry is Terry Eagleton's How to Read a Poem, Harold Bloom's The Art of Reading Poetry, and William Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity (not directly on how to read a poem, but this increased my understanding of the possibilities of poetry). There are probably others. Usually there are introductions to collections of poetry that will lend advice.
With poetry, the poet has been stirred by something and is desperately trying to use the superficiality of language to convey it to another person. Seems obvious, but it is extremely difficult to do well, and when it is done well the reader feels it too.
In terms of practical advice: read the poems aloud in a clear, strong, loud voice. Go somewhere where you can be alone and chant the poems out load. From the very origins of verse, this is how it was done. Poetry is music at its heart.
To sum up: Read through a bunch of different poetry and when you seize on something that stirs you--take it somewhere and read it aloud over and over. Eventually something will click and you'll have a guiding light that will compel your hunger and search for "the click" again and again. Hope this helps in some way.
@@LeafbyLeaf Thank you, Chris, for your thoughtful response. I deeply appreciate it. Who would have thought that reading aloud was so essential to poetry. I remember an interview that Borges gave where he expressed the same idea, saying that those who have never read poetry aloud have not really felt the joy of poetry. The irony lies on the fact that "reading aloud" is usually frowned upon in traditional school systems. I'll give it a try. Your response has definitely enticed me to push on and keep on looking.
Excellent, excellent!
Charlotte Mew, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Paul Laurence Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, Thomas Hardy
Omg and you like Pope we need to talk about Phyllis Wheatley writing David and Goliath
Hello, you mentioned you have not found any contemporary poetry that resonated with you and asked for recommendations. I firmly believe that Li young lee is the greatest living American poet. You mentioned that you find poet’s affinity and romanticization of past poets redundant or off putting. Well with li young lee you have a true sense of a unique voice. There is something so approachable but yet subtly regal in his writing. His writing reads like a fleeting dream of his that he lets you, the reader contemplate, mourn, celebrate and resurrect with him. You can tell that he has been thoroughly influenced by biblical scripture and (makes sense considering his father was a pastor after having been Mao Zedong’s personal physician, later fleeing as a political exile).
I recommend you start with what i believe to be his best collection which is the book “Behind my eyes: Poems”.. what is great about this collection of poems is that the hardcover copy comes with an audio cd version of him reading his poems. My god. What a beautiful reading voice this man has. You will know what I mean if you decide to explore this collection. I heard his voice once reading after michael silverblatt featured him and I have been in love with his work ever since.(PLEASE get a copy that comes with the audio cd it’s a completely different experience to hear him read his work). This is not a long or hard read and can probably be read in 1-2 days. I can only hope you love Lee’s work as much as i have.
Thanks for the great video! Have you read Henri Cole? I heard of him through Harold Bloom and he did a great interview with Michael Silverblatt recently. I haven’t yet read him but a copy of his latest book is on its way.
Silverblatt put him on my radar too! Haven’t read him yet either though.
“a poem must burn with a truth seeking flame and be a symphony of language “ Henri Cole
You've got Neruda but no Borges? Gotta say that surprises me a little. Don't get me wrong: Neruda is brilliant. But add Borges' Selected Poems. Also, I don't think I saw any Sylvia Plath or Spoon River Anthology. Those are my recommendations.
Oh, actually I have the complete Borges (short stories, poetry, and essays) but it’s on my bedside table along with my anthology of English romantic poetry. Didn’t think of bringing those in until after the video. Thanks for those other suggestions!
Phew! For a moment there I thought you'd missed a significant contributor to Spanish Letters....
Like a lot of people, I came to Borges via Ficciones and was instantly hooked for life. I said that I had the book on my bedside table as if it was one book but it is three different books (the Penguins).
Anything by Mr. Cummings is a treat. He’s also the only the poet that I read soooo....
Haha, if you look closely you’ll see that my cummings was sandwiched between Rilke and Yeats and got overlooked in the video! I, too, love the inventiveness of his poetry!
Thanks. Good movie.
WOW - Mickiewicz, what a surprise. Maybe you should read more polish books.
Classic (authors) - Henryk Sienkiewicz, Bolesław Prus, Władysław Reymont, Bruno Schulz, Zbigniew Herbert, Sławomir Mrożek
Reportage (authors) - Ryszard Kapuściński, Mariusz Szczygieł, Jacek Hugo Bader
and others like - Stanisław Lem, Andrzej Sapkowski, Olga Tokarczuk, Tadeusz Borowski, Czesław Miłosz, Wiesław Myśliwski
Dziękuję! Mickiewicz is the extent of my Polish poetry, but I’ve read Mrożek (Tango), Schulz (Crocodiles), Lem (Solaris), and Conrad (if that counts). I appreciate all of your suggestions, as I do need to expand my Polish literature. Someone told me about an old Polish work about the Undivine Comedy (playing on Dante) but I cannot remember anything else.
What are your thoughts on John Ashbery?
Top shelf.
Try Zbigniew Herbert and Osip Mandelstam
Thanks so much for the recs!
@@LeafbyLeaf Also Geoffrey Hill.
🙏
Have you read Geoffrey Hill's poetry?
No, I haven't. Thanks for putting this on my radar!
Thanks for the tour. I'm new to your channel and look forward to watching more.
10 of my favourite 20th century poets:
Giuseppe Ungaretti
Fernando Pessoa
Wislawa Szymborska
Jorge Luis Borges
Carlos Drummond de Andrade
John Ashbery
Czeslaw Milosz
Yehuda Amichai
Rainer Maria Rilke
C.P. Cavafy
I'm familiar with (and love) Cavafy, Rilke, Ashbery, Borges, and Pessoa. Thanks so much for these recommendations!
Adam mickiewicz! Unbelievableeeee!
🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱
I feel like the majority of my poetry exposure is reading non-fiction written by poets who like to drop poetry quotes. (e.g. Heather Christle's The Crying Book)
Hey, now that sounds like something I’d like! I’ve heard of that one but I don’t have it. Thanks!
Have you ever read anything by Larry Levis, Frank Stanford, or Frank Bidart?
Frank Bidart, yes; the others, no. But I'm going to be reading a lot more poetry this year, beginning with Atsuro Riley (I'm loving his lines!).
@@LeafbyLeaf Nice! If you do get around to Levis, I would suggest "Winter Stars" or "Elegy." If you're only going to read one then go with "Elegy." Stanford's magnum opus is "The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You." His shorter works are really great too, though. I just discovered your channel and I love it!
what do you suggest reading for somewhat a beginner on poetry i mostly only listened to song lyrics (tom waits, micheal gira). i tried reading leaves of grass but i am not ready for it yet :o
I suggest getting anthologies of the general type of poetry you want to read, and then read through it and note what you are drawn to more than what you are not. Then dig into more poetry like the poems that spoke to you. With poetry (I've found) it is about reading widely to find what connects with you--there will be a moment when a poem open up the world and purpose of poetry to each of us. Hope that helps!
@@LeafbyLeaf thank you, i geuss i will have to search around a bit.
In general, what type of poetry are you interested in? American? Latin American? Renaissance? Etc.
@@LeafbyLeaf well, i´ve been reading alot of american Literature. i would like to read some english- the obvious being shakespeare, although i plan to watch some of the movies made before hand. although not exactly poetry i intend to read True hallicatinations by terrence mckenna.
I would grab The Oxford Book of English Verse and Bloom’s anthology of English poetry. Then just pick around and see what draws you in.
Finally a point of intersection besides not actually reading O'Hara: Rimbaud
I think I spent half a year reading Rimbaud almost exclusively.
@@LeafbyLeaf he was part of a gang i read for at least 5 years (miller was another)
Spread your wings a little, from the tedium of the ye olde to below the equator: May I sugest, for a bit of colour, “Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems” by Wole Soyinka (Nobel Laureate, Literature), page 15 “Funeral Sermon, Soweto” (Andre Deutsch, from Adobe Bookshoppe; “A Tale of Two Gardens” By Octavio Paz (1990 Nobel), New Directions. Page 86: “We are condemned to kill time: so we die, little by little”. And “Midsommer” by Derek Walcott…. Anotre Nobel! ……. The slim Noonday publication is worth repeated bedside enjoyment. Miss Jenny.
Thank you so much, Miss Jenny! 🐣🐥
You must include William Butler Yeats! One of the greatest poets ever.
Agreed! If it didn’t turn up in this video, that’s an oversight. I have had a volume of his collected works for years.
@@LeafbyLeafI saw his face on a spine
amazing how 43min. passed. I saw how long it was, thought THAT's LONG, then forgot til Dylan Thomas...
Glad you enjoyed it, even though I suppose I really didn’t say much of worry about anything. Lol!
Have a swig of Tullamore Dew?
Maybe you already have him in there and I missed it, but if not I think you really need to add some Jay Wright to your collection. 👌🏽
On it!
Borges too!
Man, Bukowski is right there with Shakespeare, and Whitman, and Hemingway. Also reading him introduced me to John Fante and Knut Hamsun
That is quite an assertion! 😮
New to the channel and really digging it! Anybody taking the time to review Stoner by Williams is getting my attention. If you were to recommend one novel by Henry Miller to somebody, which of his would you suggest?
Thanks! Stoner is such a treat. My Miller starter recommendation would be good ole Tropic of Cancer (which was also my first).
ah.....Tom O Shanter?
"Tam o' Shanter" is in my anthology of English Verse!
No Percy Shelley? What a shame, still a good video.
Thanks! Shelley is one of those whom I read in my anthologies. I also have an anthology on my bedside that I forgot about that highlights Shelley. But, you’ve correctly pointed out that it’s time to invest is a more robust collection and commentary on his poetry and prose writings (most of the latter of which I’ve gleaned from Bloom).
@@LeafbyLeaf Yeah bloom got me interested in his works, most of my literary taste other than my taste for science fiction comes from Bloom getting me excited about literary classics. He is a very powerful poet, check out The Triumph of Life a lesser-known poem but it is one of the most sublime you will read.
I’m going to get this Norton paperback of his complete poetry and prose. Thanks for the push!
I wish I could read like you
You can!
You should check out Abu Nuwas
Thanks, Señor Bolaño! 😁
When Bukowski is banal, he's REALLY BANAL, is how I have to put it. Please don't mention him with Henry Miller ever again.
Sorry for the juxtaposition. Those are just the two writers that that particular friend and I always talked about. You know my feelings on Henry Miller!
Check out Mallarme
J'adore Mallarmé ! Not sure why my copies of Apollonaire, Verlain, Mallarmé, et al., weren't on my shelves when I recorded this. My latest French find is Pierre Reverdy!
Are you much into film?
I am indeed. Some of my favorite auteurs are Ingmar Bergman, David Lynch, and Michael Haneke. Kubrick, Wook Park, Antonioni, and Nolan.
@@LeafbyLeaf Ah nice man, well then I highly recommend Terrence Malick, I think he's right up your alley. The Tree of Life is so good, I think it even rivals the great novels
Ohhhhhh, I LOVE that movie so much! The first time I watched it I was stunned, paralyzed, in a stupor in my couch long after the credits rolled.
@@LeafbyLeaf Ah sick dude!!! I rarely meet people who've seen Malick's work. So good!!!
I know a lot of people who’ve seen Thin Red Line, but it’s rare that I meet someone who has heard of-let alone seen-Tree of Life. Just when I thought it couldn’t expand any more, it hit me with the dinosaur scene. Mind blowing.
Stephen Gould
Couple Brits....Hardy...Larkin
I’ve read Hardy pieces in anthologies, but I should invest in more. Larkin I’ve been hearing about for a long time. Thanks for the push!
HARDY!!! He’s very good and should be everyone’s favorite fun uncle
Oh...THERE?S DYLAN THOMAS
Other than "don't go gentle into that dark night" I'm not sure what else to say. :)
"Rape and rebellion in the nurseries of my face"
Very happy 😍💋 💝💖♥️❤️
I live to give! 👊
Need lovely 😍💋 💝💖❤️
I know, right!