William Matthews (1) (1942–1997)

Matthew's first full-length book of poetry. Bright, charming, wonderfully written, with the poet's humor and self-deprecation already formed.

Posthumously published volume, and of very high quality. A rare quality in American poets, William Matthews seems to have gotten better with age. I want to call him wise, in both senses of the word-- a wise guy and full of wisdom.

This book won one of the major American poetry prizes, and for good reason. This poetry is solid, wise, funny, hip, brave, outspoken.

This is a wonderful book, valuable for the sensitivity of the selections, though disappointing because it is a "selected" and not the complete poems implied in the title's use of the term "collected." A selection partly made by the poet's son, along with the poet Frank Bidart. William Matthews was one of the great American poets of his generation. This is a very handsome book with a broad selection of the poet's wotk.