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balancinghistorybooks's review
4.0
The fortieth Penguin Modern publication is a collection of poetry by William Carlos Williams, entitled Death the Barber. The poems here are 'filled with bright, unforgettable images... [which] revolutionised American verse, and made him one of the greatest twentieth-century poets.' I do not recall having read any of Williams' work prior to this, and was expecting something akin to e.e. cummings. Whilst I was able to draw some similarities between the work of both poets, their work is certainly distinctive and quite vastly different from one another's.
The poems in Death the Barber are taken from various collections published between 1917 and 1962. Whilst I recognised 'This Is Just to Say', the rest of the poems here were new to me, and have certainly sparked an interest within me to read more of Williams' work. There is so much of interest here, and the varied themes and imagery made it really enjoyable. Whilst some of the poems seem simplistic at first, there is a lot of depth to them. I shall end this review with two of my favourite extracts from this brief collection.
From 'Pastoral':
The little sparrows
hop vigorously
about the pavement
quarrelling
with sharp voices
over those things
that interest them.
But we who are wiser
shut ourselves in
on either hand
and no one knows
whether we think good
or evil.'
From 'To Waken an Old Lady':
Old age is
a flight of small
cheeping birds
skimming
bare trees
above a snow glaze.
The poems in Death the Barber are taken from various collections published between 1917 and 1962. Whilst I recognised 'This Is Just to Say', the rest of the poems here were new to me, and have certainly sparked an interest within me to read more of Williams' work. There is so much of interest here, and the varied themes and imagery made it really enjoyable. Whilst some of the poems seem simplistic at first, there is a lot of depth to them. I shall end this review with two of my favourite extracts from this brief collection.
From 'Pastoral':
The little sparrows
hop vigorously
about the pavement
quarrelling
with sharp voices
over those things
that interest them.
But we who are wiser
shut ourselves in
on either hand
and no one knows
whether we think good
or evil.'
From 'To Waken an Old Lady':
Old age is
a flight of small
cheeping birds
skimming
bare trees
above a snow glaze.
ssgcedits's review
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Although I am a big fan of the Beat Generation, this was my first contact with this author--and I was not disappointed. This book is filled with beautiful, complex writing in the style that this characterises the movement, very powerful imagery, and a multi-layered criticism of modern capitalist society. I highly recommend picking up this tiny book if you are into the Beats and/or for an introduction to William Carlos Williams.
kiczcock's review
3.0
Favorites: The Eyeglasses, This Is Just To Say, To a Poor Old Woman, The Term, The Last Words of My English Grandmother.
erie_rain's review
5.0
I'm in love with this tiny little book. I was never a huge poetry fan, but I really like William Carlos Williams. I really enjoy just reading these poems aloud to myself. Is that weird? Maybe, but I don't care.
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