Scan barcode
jenmkin's review
4.0
Some of this poetry is pretty pretentious, but I did enjoy reading it, and the titular poem was one of my favorites
worm_blizzard's review
3.0
Lots of great work in this collection, some clunkers too, but hey, that's poetry baby
cryo_guy's review
3.0
So I've reviewed another of Pinsky's books: The Situation of Poetry, which was not a poetry collection but a diagnosis of poetry. Anyway, this is the first actual collection of poetry of his I'm getting around to finishing, despite liking the guy for a while now. I was originally inspired to take an interest because I ran into a song by Akron/Family, "Samurai," that was adapted from his poem, "Samurai Song." I really loved the song and the poem and so I wanted to hear more from the form poet laureate of the U.S.
I want to say I really loved this collection, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. Is Pinsky a skilled poet? Terribly, terribly skilled. I still love "Samurai Song" and there are some other in the collection I admired: "Ode to Meaning," "Autumn Quartet," "The Green Piano," and "Steel Drum Variations." Ultimately though I found myself still thinking in terms of the comment I posted: either he's too clever or I'm not clever enough. There's something else though, Pinsky likes to meditate on death a lot, many of his poems center around it. There's nothing wrong with that; I like the theme a lot. But the way he does it, it's melancholy in a resigned way, quiet. Not quiet as in reserved, but quiet as in silent. Like there's nothing to be said. Maybe there isn't, honestly, but something about that just didn't capture me like I expected it would. I would say a similar drawback for me was the understated nature of some of his metaphors. I know that the rule of modernism is obscurity but I suppose I can really only suffer that to such an extent.
There were some great things though. I definitely don't regret reading this collection and I already own others of his that I'll no doubt end up reading. He has a way of summoning up classical references that I enjoyed. He mentions Achilles, Thersites, Odysseus, some of my favorites and I think he alludes to them well--an added joy for me as a classicist.
He's got some masterful diction and structure to his poems. At the end though I found myself losing patience. I might have to revisit this in the future. I would recommend this to people who are looking for American poetry of the modernist vein, fairly traditional.
I do feel bad about giving this only 3 stars. "Samurai Song" is a 5-star poem. I just wasn't super impressed like I thought I'd be. OH WELL.
I want to say I really loved this collection, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. Is Pinsky a skilled poet? Terribly, terribly skilled. I still love "Samurai Song" and there are some other in the collection I admired: "Ode to Meaning," "Autumn Quartet," "The Green Piano," and "Steel Drum Variations." Ultimately though I found myself still thinking in terms of the comment I posted: either he's too clever or I'm not clever enough. There's something else though, Pinsky likes to meditate on death a lot, many of his poems center around it. There's nothing wrong with that; I like the theme a lot. But the way he does it, it's melancholy in a resigned way, quiet. Not quiet as in reserved, but quiet as in silent. Like there's nothing to be said. Maybe there isn't, honestly, but something about that just didn't capture me like I expected it would. I would say a similar drawback for me was the understated nature of some of his metaphors. I know that the rule of modernism is obscurity but I suppose I can really only suffer that to such an extent.
There were some great things though. I definitely don't regret reading this collection and I already own others of his that I'll no doubt end up reading. He has a way of summoning up classical references that I enjoyed. He mentions Achilles, Thersites, Odysseus, some of my favorites and I think he alludes to them well--an added joy for me as a classicist.
He's got some masterful diction and structure to his poems. At the end though I found myself losing patience. I might have to revisit this in the future. I would recommend this to people who are looking for American poetry of the modernist vein, fairly traditional.
I do feel bad about giving this only 3 stars. "Samurai Song" is a 5-star poem. I just wasn't super impressed like I thought I'd be. OH WELL.
shanviolinlove's review
4.0
Having recently finished Gulf Music, I think that reading Jersey Rain helped me understand the poet behind the poetry more. Several poems in the former collection refer to people that he named and explained in the latter poems (particularly "An Alphabet of My Dead"). I especially love that Robert Pinsky does not expect one to pick up on every allusion, and in fact, the very mystery of it lends to the reader's delight.
Of all the poems in this collection, I love "The Green Piano" the most. Pinsky employs such creative imagery, likening this enormous piano to livestock, to a beast, to an elephant - for size and ivories - this large and living thing. He attaches the piano both to fond memories - "bonging" away at favorite showtunes - and to more emotional ones, such as his mother's terrible fall. I was laughing aloud when reading parts of this to my pianist husband; we took such delight from such a well-crafted poem.
Of all the poems in this collection, I love "The Green Piano" the most. Pinsky employs such creative imagery, likening this enormous piano to livestock, to a beast, to an elephant - for size and ivories - this large and living thing. He attaches the piano both to fond memories - "bonging" away at favorite showtunes - and to more emotional ones, such as his mother's terrible fall. I was laughing aloud when reading parts of this to my pianist husband; we took such delight from such a well-crafted poem.
jking236's review
4.0
Some of this poetry is pretty pretentious, but I did enjoy reading it, and the titular poem was one of my favorites
More...