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Title: The Selected Poems of Yvor Winters by Yvor Winters, R. L. Barth ISBN: 0-8040-1013-7 Publisher: Swallow Pr Pub. Date: March, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Particularly good poetry of traditional styles
Comment: I originally was very excited to read this book, judging from the few poems I read of Winters beforehand. In particular, "Two Songs of Advent" (which you may see in the excerpt here, at amazon) stood out and piqued my interest. His early style is dramatically different from his later style, which is why it is hard to judge. Pages 1-28 (from "Two Songs of Advent" to "Simplex Munditiis" span this early, "experimental" work), while the rest of the book (starting with "Sonnet") are in varying types of traditional forms. I personally enjoy the more image-oriented poetry in general, and if Winters had continued that path, I believe he could have been excellent at it also. His early work still feels like it has not been allowed time to grow. Winters, later, did not hold his early work in much esteem, but I think that it is probable that he did not work long enough to perfect that style. On the other hand, he gradually became better with traditional forms, most of which involved rhyme. Some poems truly show the exceptional work in this form, such as "To the Holy Spirit" which has some of the most smooth transitions Winters has made here in both form and thought. It is also worthy of note that he is not referring to the "Holy Spirit" of Christianity, but it is used as another term for God. Towards the end, his works deal with both more down to earth subjects (such as his family and people he worked with at Stanford) and mythology. I personally think his use of mythology is rather average, and the other more specific poems about his life are not always particularly interesting. But honestly, this has to do with my preferences and should not be taken as comments against Winters's skill as a poet. He also does some rather inventive things; I particularly like his irregular use of epigrams of all things. He had sometimes named the inspiration for a poem in the epigram, which, in a way, almost allows him to have a second title - one that adds to the thoughts (more obscure) and one that explains his thoughts (more direct). Overall, he is clearly an interesting poet and an interesting literary figure. If you like more traditional forms of poetry, then you would very likely enjoy the work of Winters.

Rating: 5
Summary: Several of the Greatest Poems of All Time
Comment: It almost brings a tear to my eye to see a new edition of the work of Arthur Yvor Winters in a handsome setting. Yvor was the great and controversial poet and critic who raised a storm of trouble in the literary world in the first half of the 20th century. His poetry is peerless. He has taken his place as one of the greatest poets in the history of the world (Yvor died in 1968). You should realize that he is a formalist, though he started his career as a free verse imagist. The story of his change of style is fascinating enough, and it is told nicely in the brief introduction. I would say that about a dozen of these poems are far beyond anyone's ability to rate them. In particular, "To the Holy Spirit" might be the single greatest poem written in English. I cannot think of anything better, not in Blake or Frost or Shakespeare. Can you believe that? You'll just have to read him to find out. Though Yvor has been largely forgotten, even in the new formalist circles, probably because he was so brazen and hard-edged, he has no equal. His themes are rather difficult to understand and feel, but the reward for your effort will be unmatched. Some of his work might fly over your head for years, as it has over mine after 25 years of reading it. But if you love poetry and believe poetry can mean something vital to human life, please join me in reading and re-reading this greatest of poets. Please feel free to write me at any time about Yvor Winters. Please visit my Amazon site for more recommendations.