Synopses & Reviews
A vast collection of poems which won "Poetry" magazine's Levinson prize."Somehow the nuances of daily experience, the warmth, humor, and reflection the poet brings to subjects are quite unlike anyone else's." - J.Parisi
Review
"In the title poem, Carver conveys his imaginative rebirth through an image of water flowing from its source: 'Can anything be more wonderful than a spring?' Carver's best poems, in fact, deal with his relationship to natural objects—whether creeks and 'the music they make' or estuaries, 'the places where water comes together with other water.' Whereas Carver deplores the fragility of human relationships, he feels an indissoluble bond with nature. But his depiction of nature is not romantic; it is unglorified and uncompromising. He rejuvenates his weary spirit through ordinary events—walks in the woods or sojourns beside rivers—and it is a testament to his power as a poet to make readers feel the magical effect these ordinary events have on him. Admirers of Carver's fiction may be surprised to learn that this collection of poems is his fourth book of poetry.
" Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
Winner of Poetry Magazine s Levinson Prize, an illuminating collection from the middle of his career, Raymond Carver s poems function as distilled, heightened versions of his stories, offering us fugitive glimpses of ordinary lives on the edge (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times).
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