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anneofgreenplaces's review against another edition
4.0
Lyrical and interesting, a thoroughly enjoyable overview of both the personal and professional arcs of Darwin's life and settings. As some other reviews have said, the poems sometimes felt a bit forced or humdrum as poems, especially those made up almost entirely of quotes from letters and diaries, but Darwin was an eloquent writer himself so it didn't bother me too much. And other poems really sing. Overall I would say it works as both a biography and a poetry collection, with a dash of science communication. The kind of thing I aspire to write, actually.
monasterymonochrome's review
4.0
I admire Padel's ability to seamlessly interweave direct quotes from historical documents with wholly original lines and somehow have it all come off as poetic and beautiful and cohesive. From the surviving written remnants of Darwin's life (which are surprisingly vast in quantity) and her own impressions and conclusions about the man, Padel crafts a character who is complex, emotional and, most importantly, human. In the latter half of the book, she also reaches into different perspectives, most notably those of Darwin's wife, Emma, and Alfred Russel Wallace, who simultaneously but independently reached many of the same conclusions about evolution as Darwin, to give a more rounded view of Darwin's world.
For me, the book was most successful when it delved into the conflict between the logic of natural selection and Darwin's emotional sensitivity. An especially gutting section of the book deals with the death of Darwin's daughter, Annie, whom he calls his favorite child and whose passing he grieves deeply. Padel juxtaposes his raw outpourings of emotion against passages from his scientific works, higlighting the fact that though Annie's death may be understood as a mere function of natural selection, which Darwin knows, it is still nearly impossible for a father to fathom that his child's death is so arbitrary and inevitable; in this moment, his human emotions and attachments cannot be reconciled with his knowledge of the workings of nature. Similarly, Padel explores Darwin's increasing disbelief in religion, which is only intensified by Annie's death, and the tension this causes in his marriage.
Though largely composed of quoted text wrangled into a more poetic structure, the scattering of original lines throughout the work are gorgeous and evocative but simple enough not to seem jarring in comparison to the quotes. My only qualm with the book is that it's a bit overlong for a single volume of poetry, nearly 150 pages, and, as such, grows a bit repetitive and meandering in places.
For me, the book was most successful when it delved into the conflict between the logic of natural selection and Darwin's emotional sensitivity. An especially gutting section of the book deals with the death of Darwin's daughter, Annie, whom he calls his favorite child and whose passing he grieves deeply. Padel juxtaposes his raw outpourings of emotion against passages from his scientific works, higlighting the fact that though Annie's death may be understood as a mere function of natural selection, which Darwin knows, it is still nearly impossible for a father to fathom that his child's death is so arbitrary and inevitable; in this moment, his human emotions and attachments cannot be reconciled with his knowledge of the workings of nature. Similarly, Padel explores Darwin's increasing disbelief in religion, which is only intensified by Annie's death, and the tension this causes in his marriage.
Though largely composed of quoted text wrangled into a more poetic structure, the scattering of original lines throughout the work are gorgeous and evocative but simple enough not to seem jarring in comparison to the quotes. My only qualm with the book is that it's a bit overlong for a single volume of poetry, nearly 150 pages, and, as such, grows a bit repetitive and meandering in places.
amritesh's review
I was thinking how on earth it came that I,
that am fond of talking
and hardly ever out of spirits,
should so entirely rest
my notions of happiness
on quiet. The explanation, I believe,
is very simple. During the voyage
my whole pleasure was derived
from what passed in my own mind
admiring by myself extraordinary views
while travelling wild desert
and glorious forest. Excuse
this much egotism! I give it to you
because you will soon teach me
there's greater happiness
than building theories
and accumulating the facts
in silence and solitude.
This is, as the cover states, a biography of Darwin, written entirely in the form of poems. The writer, Ruth Padel, is the great-great-granddaughter of the man himself, Charles Darwin.
The poems are beautiful, the research extensive (which shows), and the whole book is presented in a very delicate, graceful manner.
The book is filled with footnotes, explaining things, the sources etc. I had the fortune of meeting her this year at the JLF, where I got my copy signed (nope, not bragging).
So, if you are a fan of poetry or someone who wants to know more about Darwin, I would highly suggest you pick this book up.
that am fond of talking
and hardly ever out of spirits,
should so entirely rest
my notions of happiness
on quiet. The explanation, I believe,
is very simple. During the voyage
my whole pleasure was derived
from what passed in my own mind
admiring by myself extraordinary views
while travelling wild desert
and glorious forest. Excuse
this much egotism! I give it to you
because you will soon teach me
there's greater happiness
than building theories
and accumulating the facts
in silence and solitude.
This is, as the cover states, a biography of Darwin, written entirely in the form of poems. The writer, Ruth Padel, is the great-great-granddaughter of the man himself, Charles Darwin.
The poems are beautiful, the research extensive (which shows), and the whole book is presented in a very delicate, graceful manner.
The book is filled with footnotes, explaining things, the sources etc. I had the fortune of meeting her this year at the JLF, where I got my copy signed (nope, not bragging).
So, if you are a fan of poetry or someone who wants to know more about Darwin, I would highly suggest you pick this book up.
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