Reviews

Poems of the American West by Robert Mezey

annyway47's review

5.0

This was lovely! This collection, unlike most of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets anthologies I've previously read, is not a collection of classics. It features only a couple of poems by Robert Frost, some folksongs and Native American tribal poems, but for the most part, it relies on lesser-known 20th-century poets.

For life begins in breaking and will break,
Your beauty, grace, and youth spilled from the cup
Presented as a gift and taken back

This little book gave me both of the two main things I was looking for:
- a sense of discovery of "the American West", whatever the term may mean
- a discovery of some great poems and poets I wouldn't have otherwise encountered

So, I'm very pleased. This little book made for some highly enjoyable reading!



I own a copy of [b:Poems of the American South|18814020|Poems of the American South|Paula R. Backscheider|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385350638l/18814020._SX50_.jpg|26753701] as well, which I've recently read also. They give the impression of being companions, but in terms of contents and my enjoyment, they were very different for me. I didn't like Poems of the American South nearly as much as I did Poems of the American West.