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tmhwrd's review
Have been dipping into this for a while now and I think I’m sated.
richardwells's review against another edition
5.0
I've been reading this chapter by chapter since 2007, and just finished. I'll let it sit, and then start again. It's a crash course in poetry, written by a poet/journalist/teacher. It reacquaints you with old friends, and introduces the new. It's a boon to poets' royalties in that it had me buying books every other chapter.
matthewwester's review against another edition
3.0
In this book, Ed Hirsch shares the work of poets who have impacted him over the years. The poets he covers are not meant to be an exhaustive study of all historical periods of poetry, but rather a far-reaching look at what Hirsch likes best. I suppose this is what I liked most and least about the book: by the end I felt that I knew the author quite well, but the majority of the chapters leaned towards poetic styles he liked (and that I wasn't always excited by). Some chapters really caught my attention and I will be looking up the poets mentioned, others were meh. It would be fun to now read a book like this from other kinds of poets poet, like ones who lean away from contemporary and/or lyric poetry (perhaps a language poet, postmodern, etc). Hmm.
meganpbell's review
5.0
This anthology by one of my idols collects his columns for Washington Post Book World and contains warm, beautifully written introductions to over 130 poets, spanning the globe’s breadth of cultures and ranging from ancient times to the present. Poet’s Choice provides the perfect pace for exploring the history of poetry and discovering new poets. I enjoyed every moment I spent with this book, with each new chapter feeling like a revelation, whether it’s learning about hexes as a genre of ancient Greek poetry or reading Vietnamese women poets for the first time.
leerazer's review
4.0
This collection of 130 newspaper columns that Hirsch wrote for the Washington Post, each briefly discussing the work of a poet or poets he admires, is like a treasure trove of bread crumbs which can lead the reader onto paths of interest throughout the poetic corpus. Hirsch's love of poetry is wide ranging and enthusiastic and it's hard to imagine anyone but the expert not finding introductions here to new and interesting poets, and more avenues down which to go exploring.
richardwells's review
5.0
I've been reading this chapter by chapter since 2007, and just finished. I'll let it sit, and then start again. It's a crash course in poetry, written by a poet/journalist/teacher. It reacquaints you with old friends, and introduces the new. It's a boon to poets' royalties in that it had me buying books every other chapter.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
5.0
I loved this book of essays on poetry so much that I reread several of the essays. I'm not sure I'm ready to pass this one on yet.
Yes, this is a book of essays on poetry and, yes, I loved it so much more than the two horrible novels I attempted this week and, no, I don't care that probably no one else in the entire world or even in the entire book-loving world would read this book. I loved it.
Yes, this is a book of essays on poetry and, yes, I loved it so much more than the two horrible novels I attempted this week and, no, I don't care that probably no one else in the entire world or even in the entire book-loving world would read this book. I loved it.
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