what is the best collection of poetry?

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What is the best collection/anthology of poetry?

― Franz Kafka (Franz), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I expect to get shit for this, but the new Harold Bloom anthology is damn helpful. If you appreciate his editorializing, or at least can stomach it, then I full recommend this book.

The various Norton anthologies aren't bad--particularly the one covering the 20th Century--but something about the format, how they cram in as much text per page as they can, distracts me from fully absorbing the language. Om the other hand, the introductions to the poets are comprehensive and written at a high level of learning and sophistication.

― otto, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the 'emergency kit' in certain emergencies.

It's by no means the best though.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Moon is Always Female" by Marge Piercy. I discovered this when I was fifteen and it immediately became for me what the Bible is for others.

If you can find a decent collection of Edna St Vincent Millay's sonnets, then she has many gems amongst them.

― Natalie (Penny Dreadful), Thursday, 22 April 2004 02:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Collections of various poets, or a collection of one poet? Or both?

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Thursday, 22 April 2004 04:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I like 'Scanning the Century' edited by Peter Forbes: a great thematic overview of 20th century poetry. Also: 'The Firebox' ed. Sean O'Brien: the best of many post-WWII Brit/Irish anthologies.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 22 April 2004 08:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Changing Light at Sandover," by James Merrill is an interesting collection, supposedly written with help from his ouija board. Jarold Bloom calls it an "occult splendor." He channels (?) Jesus, the angel Gabriel,
Plato, Akhnaton & Nefertiti, Montezuma, W H Auden, Maria Callas, Gertrude Steien, Richard Strauss, and lots of other illustrious celebrities.... Has anyone else out there read this *out there* book? What did you think??? This collection has been compared to "The Waste Land" (which is another collection you might consider) and Merrill is compared to Dante, Homer, Milton, and Blake. I love Dylan Thomas' "Collected Poems" and "The Angel of History" by Carolyn Forche. There are too many others to mention....

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Ooops, I mean Harold Bloom. Jarold is his crazy Uncle.

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

well what exactly do you want out of the anthology?

― ken chen, Thursday, 22 April 2004 18:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I was very pleasantly surprised by "Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times" from the folks at Bloodaxe books which I bought because a) I haven't many new contemporary Brit. or Irish poets and B)it was on sale for 3 pounds at Waterstone's.

― Jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 22 April 2004 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't read many, I mean.

― Jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 22 April 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Emergency Kit is my most well-thumbed anthology, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best.

I have a lovely little ancient hardback which is a collection of 30s - 50s ish poets. Can't remember what it's called though.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 23 April 2004 07:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The two-volumes Poems For The Millennium, edited by Joris and Rothenberg, is pretty amazing.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 23 April 2004 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

You know from my posting in the poetry thread, EE Cummings is my favorite. A new collection is just out in PB. I have all of the collected works of Neruda. Some of Christina Rossetti, Maya Angelou & Edgar Allen Poe. All of Shakespeare's sonnets. I even have the three collections of Shel Silverstein. I'm also a bit queer in my poetry tastes in that I like those anthologies you were made to get for your "Intro to Poetry" classes...I pick them up as used textbooks and mark up all my favorites.

― yesabibliophile (yesabibliophile), Saturday, 24 April 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Textbooks like the "Sound & Sense" by L. Perrine are excellent! I have three different editions.

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Saturday, 24 April 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I just posted Merrill on the Poetry Thread before I read this! I was introduced to Merrill as a teen by a very savvy and influential English teacher. I am still loving his work years later, and always find something new. I agree that anthologies, especially those geared toward college students, are full of gems. I still have one from high school, geared toward teens, called "Reflections On A Gift Of Watermelon Pickles" - it gave me Dorothy Parker at age 14, which was a very useful gift indeed.

― aimurchie, Saturday, 24 April 2004 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I prefer books by individual poets; however here are some anthologies that spring to mind:

Japanese Death Poems edited by Yoel Hoffman

The Rattle Bag and The School Bag edited by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes

The New Directions Anthology Of Classical Chinese Poetry with some of the same poems translated by Pound, Rexroth, Snyder, among others; or, if you have the money, Classic Chinese Literature edited by John Minford is a similar but much more complete and scholarly tome.

Surrealist Love Poems edited by Mary Ann Caws

The Stuffed Owl, a collection of "bad" poetry mostly by great poets, is both funny and a decent motivational tool for despondent writers who happen to be overly reverential readers.

The Norton, Library of America, and Oxford anthologies are useful, but not my favorites. I'm omitting most regional, period, or movement anthologies, as there are almost too many to mention.

― Ryan McKay (Ryan McKay), Sunday, 25 April 2004 00:59 (twenty-one years ago)

aimurchie, have you read Changing Light at Sandover? It's really wierd, very structured, much of it in a strict iambic pentameter-- and it is v-e-r-y long. You wouldn't think Akhnaton or Montezuma would know iambs etc would you? I also have Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickles (somewhere). It has some great stuff in it. I like Neruda and Rossetti, too. Has anyone else out there ever tried translating poetry? It's fun. Get a dictionary and have at it!

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Sunday, 25 April 2004 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

pepe - I'm so glad someone else has Merrill and "Watermelon Pickles" in their home. Coincidence?! I think not...
I feel like I am always reading Merrill - "Changing Light At Sandover" should probably be annotated at some point, because it's hard to reference everything. He's challenging - but I like being challenged by a gay ouija board wielding heir to a multi million dollar fortune.

― aimurchie, Monday, 26 April 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

My standby is JD McClatchy's Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry but I am very biased in my tastes.

― bnw (bnw), Monday, 26 April 2004 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

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