Frank Bidart

I'm amazed that there are no reviews for this collection. Bidart's early poems are some of the most formally interesting that I have yet read, with his conversational but delightfully esoteric phrasing and his attempt to exactly articulate on the page the phrasing he hears in his mind through odd punctuation and spectacular use of white space. The best of his poems, like "Sacrifice," "Ellen West," "Herbert White," or his inhabitation of the tortured genius of Najinsky, are revelatory show more investigations into tumultuous minds. One of the strongest collections I have read in recent years. show less

Good poems and, I suspect, powerful ones, but not ones written for me. Though they did make me sad. ...And it's been a while since I've had to look up a word every few pages: where has "velleity" been all my life?!

This is the best book of poetry I have ever read in my life. It follows the scope of Bidart's writing career from early on till the present. There are widely varied and unique poems - some short and some epic. I love the way he incorporates classical art and history into his longer works. The author must have a vast amount of knowledge on a plethora of subjects. The cover shows a sculpture by Cellini of Perseus holds the head of Medusa which figures significantly in one of his longer works. show more What is so wonderful is the consistent excellence of his verse. Bidart is truly an American treasure. show less

After 700 pages, with this collection I’ve finally finished all the books on the National Book Award shortlist for poetry. This one won the award, but it is my least favorite of the five. While there were many poems here that I loved, I also found many, particularly the earlier poems, much less accessible than the contemporary poetry from the other collections on the shortlist.