First Four Books Of Poems

Wonderful collection and awesome seller!!!

I like these poems as there is food for thought in most of them. You can skip around and select whatever catches your fancy.

The book had a blotch of purple ink on the bottom of nearly every page; I sent it back and asked for a book that wasn't damaged, but obviously that never happened.

Self-expression is perhaps the only cure for the great social gag that once bound women's creativity. Female poets are essentially empowering themselves through language; society no longer expects them to be simply silent and useful. In particular, Louise Gluck deals with many of the issues facing the contemporary woman as an individual. Her work addresses the feminine identity as it relates to independence and personal fulfillment. The stark simplicity of her language underscores the depth and complexity of her subjects with a sense of tight control. Her writing is constantly evolving; the poems as a body of work are as meaningful when taken together as each is standing alone. Beginning with tentative exploration in her early work -marked by themes of loss and emptiness - Gluck's poetry moves towards a denouement of fierce self-actualization, just as in modern culture women make their way towards triumphant fulfillment. In this collection of her first four books, one may see the movement of a voice from submissive flesh forward into exclamatory liberation.

I bought this book for my intermediate poetry class, and although I have not yet finished reading through all of it, I have placed it high on my list of favorites. Each of Gluck's poems is something to be savored - you can feel the words on your tongue, and the pictures she provides are so real that you almost wish her memories and images were your own. Only Gluck can describe something as heart-wrenching as a fickle lover as waspishly and deliciously as she does, ending that particular poem with the words "You pimp." Nor can the reader ignore her own delicate, luminous poem "The Nativity", which expresses her own thoughts on the birth of Christ. The majority of Gluck's poetry is short and the lines simple; however, the images triggered by the words and what she means to convey is of a far greater volume. As you read through this fantastic collection, you'll find that many of Gluck's images, ideas, glories and frustrations are those of every person. The way she expresses herself leaves you bowed over at each poem's end, and you always want to read ahead to see what else she will present you with. These poems are Gluck's gift to the world, and the poetry unfolds before the reader as serenly as a flower unfolds to the sun. So check it out, you might really enjoy and be uplifted by what you read!

Take note: this is not actually the first four books of poems, but the first four books of poetry BY LOUISE GLUCK. It's a finicky distinction, but an important one when you think about it.

I bought this book of poems by Louise Gluck because she won the Nobel Prize for literature and I hadn't heard of her. The book arrived in reasoable time and in very good condition. The Nobel Prize was well deserved.

This a brilliant collection of accessible, deceptively simple poetry. These poems seem almost prose-like yet are finely crafted - the way all modern poetry should be. Many of them stay with you and phrases resurface at odd moments. Tone and mood portray whole scenes and atmospheres with economy and linguistic certainty.