A review by philipkenner
The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner

5.0

Such a clear, lucid essay. It’s emotional, full of yummy imagery, and an immensely satisfying reading or any lover or hater of poetry. I especially appreciated Lerner’s consistent and well-argued theory that all poetry is a reach toward the divine (the emotional divine, the physical divine, the divine ability to inspire action in others) while at the same time existing as an inescapable failure to reach that same divine. If poetry elicits any strong feelings in you (love, hate, confusion, etcetera), then this is a tight essay you should absolutely ingest.