Li-Young Lee

Where is he writing from? Where does he go when he writes these poems? I have no idea. Some of these lines made me perplexed, as if they are spoken from a place where the concept of "sky" and "shadow" and "death" are completely different. I looked at the lines "Death creates a blind spot. / Man is a secret, blind to himself," "Sister, we died in childhood, remember? / Into birds we died, into their flying," "A clock the bees unearth, / gathering the overspilled minutes." over and over.. Some show more of these poems were truly breathtaking for me. Reading the poems really made me feel the totality of how poetry is a spiritual practice for him (as opposed to an aesthetic practice for many others). The poems are mystical. Subdued power. Incomprehensible like very old runes. I think with him, poetry becomes something otherworldly. An experience. I turn the last page and return to the world, and for some reason, the realm within his pages was so much bigger, more wondrous, than the world I am in now. show less

At turns heartbreaking and at other moments humorous, Lee always presents his poems with lyrical and haunting detail, impressing upon readers the importance of a single given moment. I'd read many of these poems in the past (a few have been included in more than one anthology), but this was my first time reading the collection as a single long work. And, in the end, this is one of those collections that calls to be read as a whole. With cycles of references to flowers, to the power of show more memory, and to the simple sound and gift of rain, the poems come together with a larger power than any one of them holds alone. Yet, Lee's elegant style is translated as well into each single poem. Each is accessible, worthwhile, and memorable on its own. There is no filler here, and much to enjoy for both casual readers and long-time lovers of poetry alike. Absolutely, this is recommended, and of those poetry books that I'll pass on both to friends who haven't yet found Lee's work (rare as they may be), and to that reader who might just be considering a venture into pleasure-reading poetry. This full collection is one I'll return to. show less

It seems like a full book of interviews with a single author might be too repetitive to be worthwhile; in fact, I imagine that's what had me putting this collection off as long as I did. Because I'm a fan of Li-Young Lee's work though, I finally got around to picking it up...and found a pleasant surprise. While the interviews do at times cover some same ground (though not much), the arrangement and inclusion of the given interviews allow for each interview to cover the territory from show more different angles and with different developments. Thus, repetition is at a bare minimum, and the book as a whole does work as a fully formed collection. Lee's thoughtful and thorough responses to questions allow readers insight into various aspects of his work and writing philosophies, and inclusions of snatches of poems and discussions of other writers bring extra depth along the way.

While I am familiar with Lee's work, I think this book would be incredibly worthwhile for not only Lee's fans, but for any writer. For me, the most worthwhile and fascinating passages here are those where Lee discusses his feelings on writing and his understanding of a writer's place in the world. Certainly, I'd recommend these interviews to my creative writing students and to my writing friends---I found the book both thought-provoking and inspiring, and I'm sure I'll come back to it in the future. show less

Lee's poems are consistently stunning, pulling together careful observation, powerful language, and graceful moments in any given line and stanza. Falling into his work is something like journeying into another space and another mind, his poems are each, from beginning to end, so carefully constructed. And yet, they seem effortless, and they are readable and engaging. Few poems in this collection are not stand-outs, and in most collections, any of these poems would leap from the pages and show more demand attention and re-reading.

Simply, Lee's work is powerful and forever worth reading, forever worth sharing.

Recommended. show less