LETTER FROM A DISTANT LAND

by Philip Booth ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 7, 1957

The Lamont Poetry Selection award goes for 1956 to this book of grave and serious minded poems. The judges were of high calibre, unquestioned ability, and it would be impossible to quarrel with their judgment. But the average reader will be baffled. Where will Booth go from here? There are forty odd lyrics dealing with the poet's preoccupations:- the sea, air flight (he was a pilot in World War II), and nature, all shot through with some metaphysical observations which remove them from the realm of mere description and give them a more universal approach. The title poem, a letter to Thoreau, is a commentary on the lives we live today as compared with the days of the Sage of Walden Pond. The techniques and skill of these poems raise them above average. If there is any fault to find it is lack of fire and passion. For a young man of 31, they are remarkably sober and classical in tone. Where this will lead remains to be seen. He is a poet to watch.

Pub Date: March 7, 1957

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1957

Categories: NONFICTION