Description
Book SynopsisRobinson Jeffers (1887-1962) is not only the greatest poet that California (and indeed the American West) has produced, but a major poet of the 20th century who occupies a prominent place in the tradition of American prophetic poetry. This is a selection of his work.
Trade Review"Ultimately Jeffers poems are regenerative, inspired, dynamic, and transcendent, creating an evocative and richly rewarding, even visionary, immersion in the natural world that for all its verbosity makes the world tangible and restorative. As editor Tim Hunt observes, Jeffers's work demands more than just simple contemplation of nature, but rather 'identifying with it and recognizing one's final and inevitable participation in it.'"—Jeffery Beam,
Oyster Boy Review"[I]t is hard to see how anyone can read Jeffers's best poetry and not perceive greatness. His narrative verse rivals Wordsworth's or Byron's. It is electrifying; the skin prickles. . . . We will lose something of value if we let Jeffers slip away. He expresses California's peculiar ambience with unsurpassed vividness."—
Los Angeles Times Book Review"Tim Hunt, one of the nation's leading Jeffers scholars, has done a masterful job of sorting and choosing from a huge amount of material."—
San Francisco Chronicle"Most welcome . . . a volume for the core of American literature collections."—
Booklist"The little prose Jeffers wrote is of the highest quality and the best of it is fortunately included in the back of
The Selected Poetry."—
New York Review"This is the second such collection. The first, from Random House in 1938, remained in print for more than 50 years. Hunt, editor of the five volumes of
The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers, now provides an excellent replacement."—
Virginia Quarterly Review"One of the major virtues of this selection is its appeal to ecologically-oriented readers. . . . From any critical angle or interest, this
Selected Poetry is the best entry into Jeffers's major work."—
ISLE"No other American poet has so emphatically preached the saving graces of nature, from galaxies to granite. Jeffers is more than the consummate poet of California and the Pacific Ocean, as many East Coast literati have called him with condescension. He is a poet of transhuman beauty, of disturbing prophecy. Freed from the shackle of his narrative poems, he stands as the preeminent American poet of nature, ecology, and science . . . he is one of our most important writers."—Science Magazine
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Tamar 1917-1923 2. Roan Stallion 1924-1925 3. The women at Point Sur 1925-1926 4. Cawdor 1926-1928 5. Dear Judas 1928-1929 6. Thurso's landing 1930-1931 7. Give your heart to the hawks 1931-33 8. Solstice 1933-1935 9. Such counsels you gave to me 1935-1938 10. Be angry at the sun 1938-1941 11. The double axe 1942-1947 12. Hungerfield 1948-1953 12. Last poems 1953-1962 13. Prose 14. Unpublished poems Indices.
