This book may or may not lengthen your life. It will enrich it. The author is
hip and knowledgeable, the ideal guide on this all-expense-paid tour of poetry through the ages. His witty commentary takes you from Homer to Dante to e.e.cummings (how far is too far?) to Maya Angelou, from imagery to iambic pentameter; with such ease that you won’t even realize you’re having a learning experience.
What Can Poetry do for me? You may ask yourself.
It won’t make you richer or thinner.
However, as William Carlos Williams says,
It is difficult
To get the news from poems
Yet men die miserably every day
For lack
Of what is found there.
In this book:
- Poetry “workouts” get you in shape to read aloud.
- Scads of great poetry is explained, evaluated, and analyzed—in plain English.
- An eclectic list of 66 great poets ancient and modern includes discussion and examples of why you might like them, and what to check out if you want to read more.
- A handy glossary of poetic term—words you might here people use when they talk about poems.
About the Author
John Timpane is the Commentary Page editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He lives in New Jersey. For more about John see the author page.
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