Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows: Poems
by Rod McKuen
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"Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows is divided into five segments and an autobiographical poem. Included are Stanyan Street, Kearney Street, The Yellow Unicorn, and a selection of lyrics from songs and poems written as early as 1954"--Goodreads.comTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
When I read how critics snubbed Rod McKuen's poetry, I dismissed them as snobs. Which was probably fair; but it's also fair to observe that the poems in this collection are not very deep or interesting. The only noteworthy feature of the collection is the very strong and consistent melancholy mood and theme of sorrow. But the poems are extremely thin; uncomplicated in structure and thought, and not challenging. They're poems that I, lacking poetic talent, could have written. Or some twenty-year-old wanna-be poets at a coffee shop poetry slam. ("And then, my friend, YOU DIED, MAN!")
The only exception in the entire book, out of about eighty poems, is one called "The Summertime of Days," whose last verse is:
Except for that poem, the collection makes the 1960s audience that loved McKuen look shallow. My ability to appreciate poetry is probably more limited than I would like; but I still read poetry deeper and more challenging than this stuff.
Not recommended. show less
The only exception in the entire book, out of about eighty poems, is one called "The Summertime of Days," whose last verse is:
In the summertime of daysshow more
I'll
ask for nothing more
than a face and a quiet place
that was cast aside by God.
Except for that poem, the collection makes the 1960s audience that loved McKuen look shallow. My ability to appreciate poetry is probably more limited than I would like; but I still read poetry deeper and more challenging than this stuff.
Not recommended. show less
This book is of sentimental value to me, although it is a British edition, not the American (or Canadian?) edition I had when I was young and left behind in America when I emigrated. I took me years to get over writing cod-McKuen/cod-Eliot (and later, to avoid writing cod-Ashbery), but I still have a soft spot for this.
On the level of most Instagram poets, just a little smoother with an occasional enjoyable moment. About his lovers.
This one was sadder, but no less good. It's very much a look back on other times.
An 18th birthday present from my best friend Donna Straight. When I was 18, Rod McKuen was POETRY!!
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Lists
Publisher's Weekly NON-Fiction list - 1912 - 1975
486 works; 4 members
Poetry volumes by single author
122 works; 8 members
Author Information
108+ Works 2,310 Members
Rodney Marvin McKuen was born in Oakland, California on April 29, 1933. He never knew his biological father, and he was raised by his mother and an abusive alcoholic stepfather. He left home for good at the age of 11. He worked as a ranch hand, disc jockey, railroad worker, rodeo cowboy, and newspaperman. After settling in San Francisco in the show more 1950s, he began writing poetry and delivered his work at readings alongside the likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. He also sang at Bay Area nightclubs and was briefly a contract player at Universal Pictures. He was a poet, lyricist, and songwriter. During his lifetime, he wrote dozens of books of poetry and a memoir entitled Finding My Father: One Man's Search for Identity. His best-known songs, some written with the Belgian composer Jacques Brel, include Birthday Boy, A Man Alone, If You Go Away and Seasons in the Sun. He was nominated for Oscars for Jean from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and for A Boy Named Charlie Brown, the title track from the Peanuts movie. His Lonesome Cities album won a Grammy for best spoken word recording. His songs were recorded by several popular artists including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Perry Como, Petula Clark, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Dolly Parton and Chet Baker. He died as a result of pneumonia on January 29, 2015 at the age of 81. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1954
- Dedication
- For my mother
- First words
- I remember hearing children
in the street outside
above the noise
of pots and pans and bickering. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The waves that drum the shore at morning light
the friends that come no more to try and make things right
the hopes that fly too soon as though on wings
these are the lonely things.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 310
- Popularity
- 103,588
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 20
