I SING THE SONG OF MYSELF

by David--Ed. Kherdian ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 1979

Never intimidating but seldom invigorating, these personal memories and reflections are drawn largely from the hang-loose school, with some impressively crafted exceptions. Several of the selections are of childhood memories when ""many things were new, fresh"" (though that poem isn't particularly) and of parents (mostly fathers, as in Charles Bukowski's easily shared reactions in ""The Twins""); but there are also many musings about being a poet of 30 or more, in tones too tired for strong YA appeal. Typically, Alan Dugan calls himself an aging phony, while Marvin Bell totes up life's mundane expenses in terms of the lines of poetry they cost him. And the more memorable selections--for example, W. D. Snodgrass' muted, affecting ""April Inventory"" and Anne Sexton's strong ""Ambition Bird,"" of an insomniac ""laying poems away"" in an ""immortality box,"" are undeniably mature in sensibility. As always, Kherdian gets across the impression that poetry is related to real life, but these lives have less relation than usual to his target reader.

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Greenwillow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION