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lev0001's review
fast-paced
4.0
Weird collection... always happy to see those two sickos Berryman and Sexton. But there were just some missing... where was Sylvia? Where was Ginsburg??? Just felt like not a perfect reflection of 20th century American Legends. thats okay of course, the landscape is one I didn't exist in. Still...
juliana_aldous's review
5.0
An excellent anthology of American poetry of the 20th century. Rita Dove has pulled together old and new and brought forth a diverse collection of American voices.
I'm comparing this to two other American collections that I read which were both released in the first half of the 20th century--A Comprehensive Anthology of American Poetry (1944) edited by Conrad Aiken and The New Pocket Anthology of Amerian Verse edited by Oscar Williams (1955). Those were books of their time. While both focused on all centuries of American poetry--many voices were missing and the voices that were left were white, mainly male, and frankly represented our pull from European and British shores. I still liked those books--and when you hit Whitman --wow, America starts to shine.
This book rectifies the missing by presenting the beauty of the true America which is made up of many voices with different experiences. This is a wonderful anthology. I could turn to random pages 1,000 times and still find beauty and something new. So many names in this anthology to read more of and learn about. All kinds of experiences contained-- African, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous voices, male, female, and LGBTQ. This is the America I love.
I'm comparing this to two other American collections that I read which were both released in the first half of the 20th century--A Comprehensive Anthology of American Poetry (1944) edited by Conrad Aiken and The New Pocket Anthology of Amerian Verse edited by Oscar Williams (1955). Those were books of their time. While both focused on all centuries of American poetry--many voices were missing and the voices that were left were white, mainly male, and frankly represented our pull from European and British shores. I still liked those books--and when you hit Whitman --wow, America starts to shine.
This book rectifies the missing by presenting the beauty of the true America which is made up of many voices with different experiences. This is a wonderful anthology. I could turn to random pages 1,000 times and still find beauty and something new. So many names in this anthology to read more of and learn about. All kinds of experiences contained-- African, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous voices, male, female, and LGBTQ. This is the America I love.
lizzye33's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
bwei60's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Really good introduction to reading poetry! found my fav poem through this
wanderonwards's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Anthologies are difficult things, but I think Rita Dove did an excellent job compiling this one. While a lot of the poems did not speak to me, I did enjoy seeing such a broad representation of poets and reading about their lives. In all, 44 U.S. states are represented, plus Washington D.C. and several territories. However, I think I would have preferred to see representation from all 50 states and the poets arranged by region.
serenaac's review
4.0
The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry edited by Rita Dove (listen to her NPR interview, where she talks about the anthology and provides advice for young poets) collects a few poems from some of the great poets at the the height of their craft between 1900 and 2000, and while Dove notes that some of the poets who were starting to emerge in the latter portion of the century may not be included, it is merely because the anthology had to have a cutoff point and those poets may have reached the height of their craft after 2000.
Moreover, her introduction goes on to demonstrate the various turns in social movements throughout the United States and how poets and their poetry fit in with those historic changes, ranging — of course — from the backlash following the U.S. Civil War and the beginnings of WWI to the antiwar protests, the emergence of the feminist movement, and the struggle for civil rights. Each poet’s bio is included alongside samples of their work.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/04/the-penguin-anthology-of-20th-century-american-poetry-edited-by-rita-dove.html
Moreover, her introduction goes on to demonstrate the various turns in social movements throughout the United States and how poets and their poetry fit in with those historic changes, ranging — of course — from the backlash following the U.S. Civil War and the beginnings of WWI to the antiwar protests, the emergence of the feminist movement, and the struggle for civil rights. Each poet’s bio is included alongside samples of their work.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/04/the-penguin-anthology-of-20th-century-american-poetry-edited-by-rita-dove.html
mdegraffe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
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