New and Selected Poems, Volume One

One of the best books

Mary Oliver overwhelms my visual and auditory senses with her language; it is precise and controlled; her imagery is brilliant. Using carefully chosen words she captures the "essence" of living things in the natural world. Each work is masterful and seems a deep meditation that leaves a reader feeling refreshed and somehow privy to a personal, even private part of the poet as an investigator and witness to nature and its secrets. Each time I read one of her poems I feel as if she is inviting me into the woods with her to witness the natural world in all of its sacredness. I have yet to read a poem of hers that disappointed me. Her mood-infused poem "Rain" (the first poem in the book) is sublime; and "Mushrooms" is glorious! Read "Mushrooms" slowly and listen to the language; see the imagery in the mind: Rain, and then the cool pursed lips of the wind draw them out of the ground--- red and yellow skulls pummeling upward through leaves, through grasses, through sand; astonishing in their suddenness, their quietude, their wetness, they appear on fall mornings, some balancing in the earth on one hoof packed with poison, others billowing chunkily, and delicious--- those who know walk out to gather, choosing the benign from flocks of glitterers, sorcerors, russulas, panther caps, shark-white death angels in their torn veils looking innocent as sugar but full of paralysis: to eat is to stagger down fast as mushrooms themselves when they are done being perfect and overnight slide back under the shining fields of rain. My God! I don't think that even a mushroom would know itself in that way. She is a sublime witness to the natural world. Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets -- and let me tell you, I don't have many "favorite poets". I recommend this poetry collection to you!

The only problem with a volume of Mary Oliver's collected poems is that whichever poems end up excluded are likely to be the reader's loss. Such incomparable consistency of craft and soul can be expected, every single time, from Ms. Oliver! That said, no poem here is undeserving of its inclusion, and if it took an anthology like this to have you wonder about reading her for the first time, then thank God for this book. Included here -note that this is only the first volume- are works from her earlier books, all of which are worth buying separately. A particularly important inclusion are the selections of American Primitive, in my opinion her most moving and accomplished collection. Those who adore poems like the glorious "Wild Geese" or were moved by the wisdom of "The Journey," will be happy to know that they are, of course, contained in this volume, along with many others begetting similar acclaim. So, five stars for Ms. Oliver only because I can't give her ten. As far as the publisher, I would have liked a clearer indication that this is the very same edition already published years ago. At least in my case, the additional subtitle -"Volume One"- confused me and led me to buy something I already owned. In the other hand, if such mention indicates the upcoming release of a second volume -specially if more uncollected poems may be part of it, I'll be satisfied and forgiving. For those who own everything by her and do not possess this volume, this is still a valid purchase on the basis of the, once, "new poems" contained and not available anywhere else. Welcome -or welcome back- to the poetry of Mary Oliver. Let these words take your breath away with its exquisite and gently fierce call to opening your heart and be intelligent toward all beings.

First, I'm not a "poetry person." I don't enjoy reading it, mainly because I can't understand most of it. But, recently, a newspaper article mentioned that Maria Shriver liked one poem so much she kept it on her desk. Out of curiosity, I read it online. It was a poem called "The Journey" by Mary Oliver. Finally, a poem made sense to me! It spoke to me. I read another of her poems online and it was the same. That's when I decided to buy my first book of poetry, "New and Selected Poems," Volume One, so I could sample poems from many of her books. Reading her poems are like taking a walk with Mary, albeit seeing through her eyes and hearing her thoughts. Her descriptions and phrases are like moment by moment photographs of her walk. The words are simple, but the images and emotions they convey, are clear -- and because of their acknowledgement, they are important and powerful, something you are glad to know. So, this is not a typical review of a poetry book. I don't know anything about the techniques or rules or what is considered classic poetry. All I can tell you is they are compelling. Each one pulls pull me in and I race through to see how it ends. Then, I go back to reread and savor the words and phrases. (Me! The non-poetry reader. I've surprised myself!) Reading Mary Oliver's biography was also important to me. It provided me with a perspective about her and her poems that only made them seem more alive -- more of her. I recommend doing this to anyone who wants to read more of her poems, as I did for the first time.

The best poems say with words that which can't be said with words. I know that sounds like double-talk, but it's true. The best poems act as catalysts, creating emotions and connections in us that the words taken by themselves just don't convey. For example, veteran poet Mary Oliver's poem "Rain" (the first in her "New and Selected Poems, Volume One") opens with "All afternoon it rained, then / such power came down from the clouds / on a yellow thread, / as authoritative as God is supposed to be. / When it hit the tree, her body / opened forever." Beautiful, profound, and any attempt at explanation effectively kills the poetry. Mary Olver's poems are like that: clear imagery, simple language, common themes brought together like "power . . . on a yellow thread" that packs a wallop. How's THIS for a brightly-lit thought: "Is the soul solid, like iron? / Or is it tender and breakable, like / the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?" And this seasoned poet has a few observations about life to share with us: "You do not have to be good. / You do not have to walk on your knees / for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. / You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." I've already ordered her "New and Selected Poems, Volume Two."

Mary Oliver is heavy on nature in this volume. Her work is solid with vivid imagery and she puts a whole new spin on nature in her mature and relevant poetry. This is my introduction to her work and I am thoroughly impressed. I can't wait to read more.

I am new to poetry, but I have been an author and a writer for over a decade. Since I am new to poetry, this book has been very helpful. I had a practice of reading aloud three poems from this book a day. What was most surprising was that after one month, I was able to craft my first poem.

I was recently invited to contribute to a poets and artists even called Wings, Feathers, Flight. Each poet was to read a selection from their own work and another from anothe rpoet. One of the poets read Oliver's poem on wild geese. Everyone seemed to know her and it. I immediately went out and bought this volume. Here is a poet who can lay such a careful argument that a line like: "We hope for magic; mystery endures." flows naturally from its contest into the verses that follow. Others: "To live in this world // you must ebe able / to do three things: / to love what is mortal; / to hold it // against your bones kknowing / your own life depends on it; / and, when the time comes to let it go, / to let it go." "Oh what good it does the heart / to know it isn't magic!" "I don't know exactly what prayer is. / I do know how to pay attention. ... / Tell me, what else should I have done?" "... the heart cries aloud: / yes, I am willing to be / that wild darkness, / that long, blue body of light." All this, mind you, in the contest of sumptuous, sharply observed, nature poetry. (The poems on owls I find particularly arresting.) This as superb as any carefully edited anthology can be -- and it's by a single author! What must Volume 2 (published October 2005) be like?!?

If you love poetry, she will be among your treasures. If you don't love poetry, she'll be among your treasures.

Mary Oliver is a genius. You can be more or less close to her poetics, but she has surely “that little something”. My complaints are addressed to the edition. There is something called “publishing” and there is something called “printing”. This “book”, although the term is too generous for the case, belongs to the second category. I don’t know if I should read it or use it to fix a leaning piece of furniture. This should be warned by Amazon. I don’t have a printer myself but in case I had, I’d rather have printed some poems from the internet that buying this bunch of papers put together.

Book came in perfect condition

such an excellent poet I have discovered, one of the best

Os poemas são belíssimos e o livro chegou em perfeito estado; considerando que veio de fora. Fiquei muito feliz com a compra!