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A review by aegagrus
Strange Nursery by Esther Schor
4.0
Schor's poetry is erudite and formally adventurous, offering a great many ideas for writing exercises or compositional strategies. Much is historical, ekphrastic, or travelogue-based; literary sources and personal experiences are employed in a variety of ways. Strange Nursery is thus an invaluable resource for poets seeking inspiration.
On its own terms, the poems in this collection are often lighthearted, often challenging. Among the historical poems, I'm drawn to Laika and Achilles at Dien Bien Phu for their forceful composition and tonal complexity. Perhaps the most challenging poem of the set is Harvest, which Schor contextualizes in a note at the end of the collection as based on an inner dialogue between her experience serving on an oversight board overseeing animal research and her personal study of the Talmud, each leading her to question what we are willing to do to "press knowledge out of living things". I was somewhat less compelled by the final poem in this set, The Hills of Holland, although I can appreciate the ambitious historical setup and the use of three distinct voices.
On its own terms, the poems in this collection are often lighthearted, often challenging. Among the historical poems, I'm drawn to Laika and Achilles at Dien Bien Phu for their forceful composition and tonal complexity. Perhaps the most challenging poem of the set is Harvest, which Schor contextualizes in a note at the end of the collection as based on an inner dialogue between her experience serving on an oversight board overseeing animal research and her personal study of the Talmud, each leading her to question what we are willing to do to "press knowledge out of living things". I was somewhat less compelled by the final poem in this set, The Hills of Holland, although I can appreciate the ambitious historical setup and the use of three distinct voices.