Cover Image: The Heart of American Poetry

The Heart of American Poetry

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Member Reviews

Some wonderful poems in this collection. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and the flow of each poem. Poems are always a great break from my typical reading and I genuinely liked this book.

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This was a lovely collection, well-curated. Hirsch's introducrtion set the right tone, and remains accessible to students and long-time poetry lovers alike.

He notes that he has "found it heartening to write this book about American poetry at a disheartening time in our republic, a time of broken promises. These poems hold us to a standard and remind us of the sacredness of the individual life, the single testamentary".

Each poem is followed by a commentary and meditation on why it is representative of American culture.

I also appreciate that he's taken care to include female poets and poets of color, in addtion to more canonical poets.

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An essential guide for devotees of poetry-greats such as Dickinson, Eliot, Frost, Hayden, Hughes, Melville, and Plath.
Hirsch offers original reflections, insights, and revelations of some of their most compelling work – a single poem from each of their respective canons. Each poem offers a statement on American culture and society that truly resonates.
Thanks to NetGalley and Library of America for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The Heart of American Poetry is an insightful evaluation of poetry across the ages in American history. From greats like Frost and Dickinson to well-known poems like The New Colossus to lesser-known gems, Hirsch dives deeply into the context behind each piece. He gracefully explores the connections between poet and poem, the technical prowess of the piece, and the timing of the poem's writing and release, showing the reader exactly why the piece is important and where it stands in the annals of literary history.

The analyses can be long-winded at times, stretching into the poets' personal lives and histories more than is strictly necessary. The terms used to describe the poems are extremely technical in places, leading the breakdowns of mechanics to be inaccessible to beginning readers. Still, this does not mean the writing is flawed; the collection is simply aimed at a more academic audience.

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Sorry, this isn't a review. I can't read the book. I've downloaded the PDF and loaded it into Adobe Digital Editions, but when I try and open it, I get an error saying the encrytion key is invalid. I downloaded two other books from LOA at the same time and had no problems with those. Only the Edward Hirsch book.

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Some amazing poems in this collection. Loved the authors writing style and generally liked this book.

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I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
In this personal collection of American poetry, the collector has chosen forty of the best lens of American writing to showcase. It is a collection of essays reexamining poems well known to many readers and organized in chronological order by birth year of the poets. The author wrote this book during the year 2020, during the upheaval of social disturbances and an all pervasive virus. He lends his own political view to the writings as he evaluates the poems from American history. This is a book of poetry, essays and commentary on America. The reader may agree or not agree with the commentary essays but the authors personal voice has merit and wants to be heard. Interesting American historical record of poems worthwhile the student and reader alike.

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