Book Description
Why do dogs speak so profoundly to our inner lives? When Mark Doty decides to adopt a dog as a companion for his dying partner, he finds himself bringing home Beau, a large golden retriever, malnourished and in need of loving care. Beau joins Arden, the black retriever, to complete their family. As Beau bounds back into life, the two dogs become Mark Doty's intimate companions, his solace, and eventually the very life force that keeps him from abandoning all hope during the darkest days. Their tenacity, loyalty, and love inspire him when all else fails.
Dog Years is a remarkable work: a moving and intimate memoir interwoven with profound reflections on our feelings for animals and the lessons they teach us about life, love, and loss. Mark Doty writes about the heart-wrenching vulnerability of dogs, the positive energy and joy they bring, and the gift they bear us of unconditional love. A book unlike any other, Mark Doty's surprising meditation is radiantly unsentimental yet profoundly affecting. Beautifully written, Dog Years is a classic in the making.
Customer Reviews:
memoirs of a gay-sha.......2007-10-11
The poet shares the relationship he had between his dogs and himself in "Dog Years: A Memoir". Mark Doty (born 1953 in Maryville, Tennessee) is the only American poet to have received the T.S. Eliot Prize in the U.K. He received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont. Doty, who is gay, has written about his struggle with coming to terms with his sexual identity, and with the impact on AIDS on the gay community. In 1989, his partner Wally Roberts tested positive for HIV, which drastically changed his writing. Wally died in 1994. Doty is currently the John and Rebecca Moores Professor in the graduate program at the University of Houston.
Mark Doty relates his experiences of his time with his two dogs, Arden the black retriever, and Beau the gold one. Mark also shares the passing of his long time partner Wally who was diagnosed and died of AIDS. Arden kept Mark alive, uplifted his soul and gave him will to live by its comforting gestures and by giving joy in his little ways. Arden and Beau became his true friends, became part of the household, and played a big part in Mark Doty's life. The dogs were his companions during his lowest moments, shared his grievances, and happiness as well.
Mark starts a happy new life with his dogs and Paul, also a writer. But a time came when his dogs starts to decline because of illness. Beau developed a kidney disease, while Arden is having a high fever and showing unusual signs. Along with this is the devastating 9/11 where Mark continues to differentiate despair and depression. According to Mark: "Depression is always the consequence of despair, a despair one cannot feel one's way through in order to emerge from the other side, a despair will not be moved".
The dogs' everyday struggle reminds Mark of how hard Wally's gradual passing was. In Mark's recollection of the years he spent with the dogs, Arden and Beau gave him unconditional love and companionship throughout their lives.
Dog Years is one beautiful way of giving tribute to all dogs in the world, who are loyal and ready to accompany their masters until their dying day. The book depicts an unforgettable experience between a man and a pet. At first, I got confused between his dogs and his boyfriend, because he describes his dogs like human beings. I love the poems he puts after every chapter, it makes the book more interesting although I don't really understand some of them. I'll admit some of the chapters in the book were boring and depressing, but I was moved when his dogs became really ill and helpless. They really are like humans. I have a Shih-Tzu named Bruno, and I can't imagine losing him too when the time comes.
On a scale of 1-10, I would give it an eight. The book failed to get my attention in the first few chapters, but the book helped me a lot in understanding my dog's feelings, and the last chapter was very moving that I almost cry. I would definitely read another book by Mark Doty, I'm planning to get the Firebird when I'm not busy. I'm recommending this book not only to dog lovers or owners, but also to anyone who has experienced attachment and loss.
Truly beautiful book.......2007-10-02
This book moved me to write a review here, my first. I can hardly express how touching this book was for me. Sad in nature but told with such exquisite elegance it took me months to finish because though I enjoyed it throughly, reading it was an intense emotional experience, not unlike grieving. There are single lines and sections in this book that when thinking of them later, tears snap to my eyes. I am a true dog lover who can relate to the deep devotion and attachment to our dogs as expressed in this book. Mark has used language beautifully to tell his story.
To My Dog Loving Friends: .......2007-09-24
(I read this book and was touched by it enough to write an email to my Dog Loving Friends) Here is what I wrote:
Dear Dog Loving Friends,
Over the past few days I read a book that I checked out of the library called Dog Years written by Mark Doty.
The book moved me so much that I intend to buy a copy for me to keep as my own. (And I never ever buy books to own.)
I recommend it to you (if you will endure the more poetic parts of it and seemingly random diversionary discussions), and I recommend it to Connie's hairdresser given that he owns 14 dogs. Susanne, if you can pass this on to Connie or make mention, I would be grateful.
The book is told in the first person. It is a memoir of sorts - reminds me of a scrapbook in a way - with lots of "photos" (the photos being stories) of dogs, but other "momentoes" stuck in the book such as random musings on poetry and sidebar discussions on such non-dog related topics as Judy Garland, the difference between dispair and depression....and boy does he nail it when he decribes depression. I am not quoting directly but something like: "Depression moves in heavily and sits in the sink as the dirty dishes from yesterday" ....
As strange as all the pieces were, it comes together quite lovely. Like a meal or a recipe in which I would have NEVER thought to combine all those ingredients, but it worked beautifully.
This book all made sense to me (except for some of the poetry..ok, ok, so I admidt I am missing the Emily Dickenson gene along with the cooking gene, but I will go back and carefully re-read some of the poetry.) I especially liked the poem on the wind. See that is the great thing about this book. I just finished it and already I am eager to read it again.
The book starts slowly and gets much better after a few chapters. I was momentarily confused between a dog named Wally and a man named Wally, and I was mildly irritated that the author used the word "fierce" or a very similar word 3 times on the same page. jeeze, picky, picky.
But then on the other hand, I rather LIKED this "flaw" because I felt like he was not a honed pretentious writer following all those rules we learn in English and writing classes, but instead he was really writing from the heart. And I myself, of course, cannot even write one smidgen as well as Doty.
Doty, an artistic insightful angst ridden gay man, recollects his past and how important his dogs were to him. He brilliantly perceptively and precisely captures what I think we see and love in our dogs. I was constantly saying "YES, YES, YES!" outloud to myself while reading. I wept copiously at the end.
The manner in which he desribes his dogs "resonates" with me (I hate to use that overused word, but it really fits here).
Because Doty is a poet, he sees his dogs through poetic artistic eyes.
The book will make you laugh and cry. I hope you take time to read it. See the reader reviews in the link below. (and I copied in the link to Amazon for my friends to click to).
- later -
Absolutely wonderful.......2007-08-16
This book is eloquent, poetic, deep, funny and thoughtful. I have never felt so connected to other 'dog people'. So many things Mark describes about his wonderful friends I found myself saying 'yes, Pukka does that too!' 'I know exactly what he means!'. 'I know exactly how he feels!'
In addition to capturing the bond between human and pet dog, the book is also punctuated by real life events that have effected us all, like 9/11, and the death of a partner. Overall, the story is well written, (although it did go back and forth a bit in time), heart warming, heart wrenching, real, thought provoking and also explores issues of self worth, depression, relationships. And although the story revolves around a gay couple, it transends gender and sexual orientation as anyone can relate to their relationship with each other and with their dogs.
I cried too much at the end though! (Well done)
Unconditional non-judgemental love.......2007-07-07
A dog offers unconditional love and companionship throughout it's life. The unwavering devotion of the golden retriever and labrador is beautifully portrayed in this novel. These recollections are heartfelt and touching. I could not put this book down.
I am the author of-Dreams in August: Life, Love, and Cerebellar Ataxia
Book Description
Lois Gordon's absorbing biography tells the story of a writer, activist, and cultural icon who embodied the dazzling energy and tumultuous spirit of her age, and whom William Carlos Williams once called "one of the major phenomena of history."
Nancy Cunard (1896-1965) led a life that surpasses Hollywood fantasy. The only child of an English baronet (and heir to the Cunard shipping fortune) and an American beauty, Cunard abandoned the world of a celebrated socialite and Jazz Age icon to pursue a lifelong battle against social injustice as a wartime journalist, humanitarian aid worker, and civil rights champion.
Cunard fought fascism on the battlefields of Spain and reported firsthand on the atrocities of the French concentration camps. Intelligent and beautiful, she romanced the great writers of her era, including three Nobel Prize winners, and was the inspiration for characters in the works of Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Aldous Huxley, Pablo Neruda, Samuel Beckett, and Ernest Hemingway, among others.
Cunard was also a prolific poet, publisher, and translator and, after falling in love with a black American jazz pianist, became deeply committed to fighting for black rights. She edited the controversial anthology Negro, the first comprehensive study of the achievement and plight of blacks around the world. Her contributors included Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Zora Neale Hurston, among scores of others.
Cunard's personal life was as complex as her public persona. Her involvement with the civil rights movement led her to be ridiculed and rejected by both family and friends. Throughout her life, she was plagued by insecurities and suffered a series of breakdowns, struggling with a sense of guilt over her promiscuous behavior and her ability to survive so much war and tragedy. Yet Cunard's writings also reveal an immense kindness and wit, as well as her renowned, often flamboyant defiance of prejudiced social conventions.
Drawing on diaries, correspondence, historical accounts, and the remembrances of others, Lois Gordon revisits the major movements of the first half of the twentieth century through the life of a truly gifted and extraordinary woman. She also returns Nancy Cunard to her rightful place as a major figure in the historical, social, and artistic events of a critical era.
Customer Reviews:
A Remembered Life.......2007-07-03
If Lois Gordon was writing about a fictional character she could not have told a story of a more exciting person than Nancy Cunard. However, Nancy Cunard was indeed an individual who lived in the early part of last century whose exploits, altruism, and literary talent were extraordinary by any standards. She was a legendary beauty, with a great mind, who was extremely devoted to the disadvantaged people of the world and their struggles. This is an unusual and remarkable combination of qualities that is brilliantly depicted throughout this wonderful book. Simply, I could not put the book down once I had started reading. I can highly recommend it.
Facinating.......2007-05-16
A facinating look at a most interesting woman. Well ahead of her time. Also many insights to a span of recent history often neglected.
Brilliant job, takes your breath away.......2007-05-12
This is a brilliant, sensitive, thoroughly researched biography which is a model example of how such things should be done. The author writes of the First World War experiences in London as if she had personally lived through them. Her understanding of the complex and bizarre Nancy Cunard, of her weird mother, of her strange friends, of her insane promiscuity, of her serial preying upon the creative elite by means of 'genital consumption', of her impossible psychlogy, of the whole phantasmagoria which Nancy Cunard represented, are really a triumph of empathy and insight, as well as of organisation of material. Lois Gordon's ability to master large volumes of action and hysteria without flinching qualify her for a top military command.
A lively, fascinating read from the first chapter..........2007-05-10
I just finished Lois Gordon's deeply moving tale of an unbelievably heroic, remarkable woman about whom I knew very little. I now feel I know the soul of Nancy Cunard, thanks to the author's wonderfully engaging, well-documented presentation. The book's fluent style and breadth of information are impressive. I agree with the majority here who have praised this fascinating biography. Buy this book, settle into your favorite chair, and prepare to meet the caring, complex, flawed, passionate woman that was Nancy Cunard.
Henry Crowder and Nancy Cunard.......2007-05-06
Regrettably, this biography is seriously flawed, frankly a disgrace, in respect of Henry Crowder and throughout. There is hardly a page in the book without demonstrable error of fact, misrepresentation, unfounded speculation or garbled citation. Columbia University Press were twice alerted that there were problems when an advance proof fell into the present writer's hands two or three months before publication. The Press did not respond. Caroline Weber's New York Times review is foolish in the extreme. Anne Chisholm's 1979 biography remains indispensable. While Gordon has uncovered new material (not about Henry Crowder in which she is particularly deficient) she has not been able to make sense of it. The true story of Crowder is told in the book+CD Listening for Henry Crowder scheduled fall 2007.
Although readers must judge for themselves, it is incumbent upon someone or other who has studied some of the particulars to point out the book's shortcomings, which are drastic. The book's flamboyant style may appear to be "a good read". All the more reason to alert the general reader. That Cunard's life was replete with extraordinary events and relationships does not confer upon the biographer the right to play fast and loose. Such treatment may befit an exploitative Hollywood movie but not a literary documentation with academic credentials. It may be that few care. Neverthless . . . In respect of, for example, Crowder, by Cunard's admission the single most important man in her life, a good deal of the information the author needed had been available to her for some years in an exploratory article in a journal, which was also posted online. Either she chose to ignore it or she did not find it, though it was easy to find. Unfortunately, she does not even get the facts right from the sources she does use and her misdemeanors extend far beyond that particular subject. (Crowder does not even figure in a list of Cunard's friends in an interview with the author on the publisher's website, while another, with whom she had no relationship whatsoever, is proposed as a lover.)
In response to a comment on my original brief posting: I have mentioned my forthcoming book on Crowder's life (which will not receive wide distribution or review) and Anne Chisholm's earlier, easily available, elegant, sober, generous, decent biography of Cunard, which is grudgingly noted and casually mistreated by Gordon, in order to give general readers the opportunity to find other takes on Cunard, which they might otherwise miss, and so allow them to judge from a well-informed position.
Book Description
A new chapter in Mary Oliver's illustrious career, this collection takes us inside the poet's grief and her discovery of faith Thirst, a collection of forty-three new poems from the Pulitzer Prize-winner Mary Oliver, introduces two new directions in the poet's work. Grappling with grief at the death of her beloved partner of over forty years, she strives to experience sorrow as a path to spiritual progress, grief as part of loving and not its end. And within these pages she chronicles for the first time her discovery of faith, without abandoning the love of the physical world that has been a hallmark of her work for four decades. In three stunning long poems, Oliver explores the dimensions and tests the parameters of religious doctrine, asking of being good, for example, "To what purpose? / Hope of Heaven? Not that. But to enter / the other kingdom: grace, and imagination, / and the multiple sympathies: to be as a leaf, a rose,/ a dolphin."
Customer Reviews:
magnificent.......2007-10-16
perfection. i always feel if i can find one poem i can't live without in a book (sort of like one recipe in a cookbook)the whole book is a winner. and there are at least five in this book that i want to read to my friends, and want someone to read over and over to me. mary oliver, may you write for many more miles.
Mary Oliver is a beatiful gem the world holds in its hand........2007-08-25
National treasure Mary Oliver, in a book as fierce in love as it is numinous with understandings of God and wilderness, gives us Thirst. The poems in this collection celebrate the life and death of Oliver's beloved partner of over 40 years, Molly Malone Cooke. Oliver's art, sharp and expansive, is stunning, brilliant, and made of adoration.
rich!.......2007-08-05
We love this book. Moving, tight--each sentence a dense moment to hold. Thank you Mary Oliver!
Earth spirituality with an almost monastic love of God.......2007-07-23
In "Thirst", Mary Oliver bravely introduces us to her rediscovered religion - Christianity, and she does it in the most familiar, pantheistic, gently questioning way. Like how she tenderly describes the transformation of the simple substances of bread and wine, at the same time wondering how she can quiet herself to enter into that mystery, in `Coming to God: First Days'.
Blending the worlds of Earth spirituality with the more `traditional' `religious' must not have been without some setbacks for the poet in, `More Beautiful Than the Honey Locust Tree Are the Words of the Lord':
"I had such a longing for virtue, for company.
I wanted Christ to be as close as the cross I wear.
I wanted to read and serve, to touch the altar linen.
Instead I went back to the woods where not a single tree
turns its face away."
Deep Gratitude.......2007-07-13
Each of Mary Oliver's poems reflects her deep gratitude for all of the experiences of life: the 'good' and the 'bad'. I found 'Thirst' to be incredibly uplifting. I highly recommend it.
Book Description
His talent was unbounded, a raw force that commanded attention and respect.
His death was tragic -- a violent homage to the power of his voice.
His legacy is indomitable -- remaining vibrant and alive.
Here now, newly discovered, are Tupac's most honest and intimate thoughts conveyed through the pure art of poetry -- a mirror into his enigmatic life and its many contradictions.
Written in his own hand at the age of nineteen, they embrace his spirit, his energy...and his ultimate message of hope.
Customer Reviews:
Alive In More Ways Than One!!!.......2007-10-11
Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak
Through music and acting, Tupac will be with us always. But leaving something behind for remembrance is the reason so many poets capture their thoughts, so that their words will live long after they are gone. That is the case here and something he was able to for see captured in the poem, "In The Event Of My Demise." What I was most struck by is, so many of the poems in this book show a side of Tupac that wasn't his public persona. Making it a must for his true fans. He's philosophical, sensitive, at times angry but what perhaps a lot of us didn't see, loving and caring in a romantic way. I was struck by some of the things he chose to write about. Marilyn Monroe receives a very touching tribute relating to her rise and demise. Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, and later release and one he called, "Sometimes I Cry." Which ends with lines that we should all be able to relate to;
The world moves fast and it would rather pass u by
than 2 stop and c what makes u cry
It's painful and sad and sometimes I cry
and no one cares about why.
I've seen a few negative reviews here that seem to think this wasn't a great book, but I am looking at it perhaps from a different perspective... He wrote all this in a life span of 25 years... (19 years if I understand where these writings came from). And for me not only did I "Get" a lot of the things he was addressing, but it came across in a conversational tone. Not the first time, but the most recent time I read it. Which is another thing about poetry. Read it, walk away, read the same thing again, and you might see something completely different than what you saw initially. Some of his messages are straight forward, some are subtle but it is clear to me, with these earlier writings why he was able to eventually receive such world wide adoration. Some of what he wasn't really showing publicly must have been coming through in ways not readily visible to most initially. But that you will see in this revealing book of who Tupac really was.
A young heart with an old soul (A line from his poem), "In the Depths of Solitude"
He really felt he was two people as he refers to it in the same poem;
"This Duo within me causes
the perfect opportunity
2 learn and live twice as fast
as those who accept simplicity"
Highly recommend, both for content and a deeper glimpse into the man he was and the legend he managed to become.
WOW!!! WOW!!!.......2007-05-31
"The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur is simply a superb book. This book of poetry gave an insight to the intelligence and understanding that the late Tupac Shakur possessed. Most people who did not follow his music or know anything about him in general, like myself, would not think that Tupac Shakur would actually sit and write poetry that is meaningful or write about what is included in the world or in the government. But I was so wrong to think that way when I did not even know the man. This just goes to show that people should never under estimate others. "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" had me wanting more each and every time I turned a page. This book covers many subjects that will have an effect on you from the beginning to the end. I strongly recommend this book for others to read, because you will most definitely learn a thing or two from "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur. I would give this book 10 stars* if I could. Again, "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" is magnificent.
Tupac is alive.......2007-05-09
Tupac's book of poems is important in considering his life. My favorite poem is "a rose that grew out of concrete". Why, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you...it has a great metaphor about a rose and the way it is able to grow and flourish even in the worst conditions. The concrete represents Pac's experience in jail and regardless of being in jail he was able to grow as a poet. I highly recommend this book because I think especially young people growing up the way he did will be able to see the life lessons and morals he has to teach.
Beautiful Poetry.......2007-03-19
This book is so inspiring. I bought this book about 3 years ago and I read it at least once a month it's that good! I even got a tattoo that says "The rose that grew from concrete'. Definitely check this one out!!
Great condition.......2007-01-13
I bought this as a gift. It was brand new and my friend loved the book. Would definitely do business with this seller.
Average customer rating:
- 2 for 1
- Life Doesn't Frighten Me
- Undecided
- Art Appreciation For All Ages---
- Pure Bosh
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Life Doesn't Frighten Me
Maya Angelou , and
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
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ASIN: 1556702884 |
Customer Reviews:
2 for 1.......2007-08-12
You have two great contemporary artists combined in this book.....I plan to buy it again as I gave it to a friend who is a new grandmother.
Life Doesn't Frighten Me .......2007-05-21
This is a great book! This book is a good starting point for conversation with children in helping them talk about what might frighten them. The artists (both Maya Angelou and Jean-Michel Basquiat) both have created a unique book for all ages.
Undecided.......2007-04-22
The pictures are abstract looking and dark in tone. The book makes reference to; ghosts, bad men fighting in the dark, and cougars in the park. I'm not sure my 3 or 5 year old children had thought up these bad things on their own yet. While reading them the book I felt uneasy about the dark pictures and scary references to things they may not have even thought of before. I'm still undecided if it will be helpful in convincing them that they don't need to be afraid of life or if it will convince them that life is pretty scary and they ought to be afraid! There is one reference to 'having a lucky charm up her sleeve' that protects her from the bad stuff and also allows her to walk on the ocean floor without having to come up to breathe. Those are both useless defenses in the real world so the book doesn't offer any real reasons to not be scared of life.
Art Appreciation For All Ages---.......2006-11-19
This book is truly for both parents and children. The cadence of Angelou's poem is one that appeals to kids of all ages, even if they don't initially understand it's meaning. The artwork in it's 'stick figure form' can be appreciated by all who enjoy the complexity of Basquiat's work as well as children relating to it's color and elementary presentation. It's one of my favorite gifts, from baby showers to adult parents. If you appreciate art and culture this book is one to have in the home as well as gift to a friend.
Pure Bosh.......2006-07-13
What a deep, deep woman this Maya Angelou is. At least this book ADMITS it's for little kids, unlike a lot of her other work.
Average customer rating:
- Perriene's Sound and Sense
- Excellent for use with students
- Good AP Textbook
- Almost a great resource (that I'd give 3.5 Stars, actually)
- a little at a time
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Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry
Thomas R. Arp , and
Greg Johnson
Manufacturer: Heinle
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0838407463 |
Book Description
An introduction to poetry presented in a compact and concise anthology, SOUND AND SENSE continues the tradition of offering clear, precise writing and practical organization initiated by Laurence Perrine years ago.
Customer Reviews:
Perriene's Sound and Sense.......2007-09-24
This book came to me in a short amount of time. It was also in perfect condition. Thanks.
Excellent for use with students.......2005-11-02
I am currently using this book with 11th grade English students, and they have been truly caught up in it. We are actually having arguments in class over poetry!! I do find, however, that it is helpful to do the chapter on rhythm and meter much earlier than I would if I were following the chapters in order. My experience is that students have a difficult time hearing the rhythm of poetry and are generally unable to read aloud with any success. Jumping ahead early to the chapter on rhythm and meter and having the students tap out the meters and then mark the scansion produces a wonderful improvement in their ability to hear the poems and read them aloud. I would heartily recommend this book for use in grades 11 and 12, and for college freshman. It makes the study of poetry hugely enjoyable, as it should be but rarely is, for both student and teacher.
Good AP Textbook.......2004-12-16
My senior AP Literature and Composition class is using this book as a textbook, and I would have to say it is the best high school English book I've ever used. The questions following each included piece really helps you to focus on what is important in the passage, and the introductions to each chapter are brief and to the point.
Almost a great resource (that I'd give 3.5 Stars, actually).......2003-07-11
My first exposure to Sound and Sense was in high school, and, at the time, I found the book so valuable a resource that I later purchased a copy. Post-college, my views have changed somewhat.
If the tone of the writing was not so condescending, this could be a great book. It defines most of the terms necessary to understand critical texts on poetry, including those analyses related to meter, style, and tone. I find the questions after each poem to be helpful and thought-provoking. That said, it is frustrating to me that the author presents ideas and arguments in absolutes (must, must not, never, always, etc.) and then asserts that the logic that MUST be applied to point A CANNOT be applied to point B (but maybe I have spent too many hours working with lawyers).
My suggestion would be to read the text with a grain of salt. Glean the terminology, answer the questions posed at the end of each poem, follow their suggestions of rereading and considering the many facets of poetry, and try to overlook the condescending manner in which the authors display their opinions as fact.
a little at a time.......2003-02-23
I've been nibbling away at a 20 year old edition of this book for a few years in my spare time, and almost every bite has increased my abitity to appreciate poetry. I like the examples, most of them seem pretty old, Frost is about as modern as he gets, but thats ok with me. You might find this book a little annoying if it was required reading in a course, sometimes it asks more questions than it answers.
Amazon.com
Hafiz, a secret Sufi, came to prominence in his day as a writer of love poems. That love transformed into an all-consuming passion for union with the divine. In The Gift, Daniel Ladinsky bestows on us the impassioned yet whimsical strains of Hafiz's ecstasy. Never forced or awkward, Ladinsky's Hafiz whispers in your ear and pounds in your chest, naming God in a hundred metaphors.
I once asked a bird,
"How is it that you fly in this gravity
Of darkness?"
She responded,
"Love lifts
Me."
Like Fitzgerald's version of Khayyam's Rubaiyat, the language of The Gift strikes a contemporary chord, resonating in the reader's mind and then in the heart. Ladinsky's language is plain, fresh, playful--dancing with an expert cadence that invites and surprises. If it is true, as Hafiz says, that a poet is someone who can pour light into a cup, reading Ladinsky's Hafiz is like gulping down the sun. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
An extraordinary new translation of the world-renowned mystic poet Hafiz.
More than any other Persian poet--even Rumi--Hafiz expanded the mystical, healing dimensions of poetry. Because his poems were often ecstatic love songs from God to his beloved world, many have called Hafiz the "Invisible Tongue." Indeed, Daniel Ladinsky, the accomplished translator of this volume, has said that his work with Hafiz is an attempt to do the impossible: to translate Light into words--to make the Luminous Resonance of God tangible to our finite senses.
With this stunning collection of 250 of Hafiz's most intimate poems, Ladinsky has succeeded brilliantly in translating the essence of one of Islam's greatest poetic and religious voices. Each line of The Gift imparts the wonderful qualities of this master Sufi poet and spiritual teacher: encouragement, an audacious love that touches lives, profound knowledge, generosity, and a sweet, playful genius unparalleled in world literature.
Customer Reviews:
Inspired Translations.......2007-08-08
These poems are inspiring in the truest sense of the word. Reading each poem/prayer is liking breathing deep on fresh sweet air of wonder and delight. The vital energy of each short meditation doesn't fail to touch the people around me--even those who do not like poetry. I've given away several copies of this book, and so far everyone has responded with absolute joy.
A gift.......2007-08-02
I bought a copy of this book and could not find other copies locally so I ordered 5 copies from Amazon. I gave them to friends. Every page is special to all. Open this book anywhere and start. His words touch the soul. If you like Rumi, buy this you will not be disapointed.
The Christ's Breath is Here.......2007-07-30
Hafiz (c.1320-1389) sometimes spelled Hafez, says in this book,
"I am a hole in a flute that the Christ's breath moves through--listen to this music."
What an extraordinary claim that is, that my heart feels is true--for the wonder and magnificent gift of any great poet is to somehow touch our souls with God's hand--with divine music.
The Gift has been considered one of the best-selling spiritual poetry books in the English language for nearly a decade now. It's showing all the signs of becoming a lasting, well-deserved classic. In these brilliant, deeply tender, witty and full-hearted renderings, Ladinsky releases the true spirit of this most beloved Persian poet and spiritual teacher and makes him fully accessible to our times.
Hafiz has influenced and nourished many writers, poets and scholars through the centuries, including Nietzsche, Byron, Hugo, Lorca, Goethe and Emerson. If you're interested in knowing more about some of these eminent poets own words about translation/renderings, please read on, below, following some of these shorter gems from The Gift.....
The Sun Never Says
Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens
with a love like that,
it lights the whole sky.
The Scent of Light
Like a great starving beast
my body is quivering,
fixed on the scent of Light.
You're It
God, disguised as a myriad things
and playing a game of tag,
has kissed you and said
"You're it --- I mean you're Really IT!
Now it does not matter
what you believe or feel,
for something wonderful,
major-league wonderful,
is someday going to happen.
And an excerpt from, I Have Learned So Much
I have learned so much from God
that I can no longer call myself a Christian,
a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew.
The Truth has shared so much of Itself with me
that I can no longer ...
For those interested in the conversation that goes back and forth about the legitimacy of renderings and translations of Hafiz, this may be helpful information:
Professor R. A. Nicholson's scholarly work with Hafiz in the late 1800's and later, that of Professor A.J. Arberry, have long been considered the gold standard of Hafiz's literal translations in to the English language. In a 1948 review of Arberry's translations, Harvard Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Eric Schroeder, praises his work and agrees with Arberry about the difficulty of presenting this greatest Persian poet to English speaking minds. "For Hafiz' beautiful verbal surface is too complex to retain the felicity of poetry when fully rendered into English. The acoustic structure of English equivalents, it is superfluous to say, could never echo the flawless music of the Persian words." Schroeder's review states too, "The only service of translation is to make the foreign poet a poet of one's own country."
Goethe translated Hafiz and said of him..."Hafiz had no peer!" Of the task of translating, Goethe says, "I revere the rhythm as well as the rhyme, by which poetry first becomes poetry; but that which is really, deeply and fundamentally effective--what is really permanent and furthering--is what remains of the poet when he is translated into prose... I therefore consider prose translations more advantageous than poetical ones... Those critical translations that vie with the original seem really to be only for the private delectation of the learned."
Emerson too rendered Hafiz, about whom he stated, "He fears nothing. He sees too far; he sees throughout; such is the only man I wish to see and be." Emerson's translations were both free renderings and translations all made from German sources, for he did not read or speak Persian with any fluency.
Contemporary poet/translator Kenneth Rexroth states, "The writer who can project himself into the exultation of another learns more than the craft of words, he learns the stuff of poetry. It is not just his prosody he keeps alert, it is his heart." One can't find a more alert and exultant heart for our modern world, than Hafiz in the pen of Ladinsky.
I find Mr. Farhad Bahrami's five star review here (May 8, 2002) edifying. Bahrami, who says he reads Hafiz in Persian "all the time", calls Ladinsky's The Gift, "The Best Hafez `translation' ".
If you're drawn to know more, by all means read scholars' translations. If you want to dive in to the complex beauty of the Persian language, go there. But if you want immediate holy refreshment and the encouragement and joy of Hafiz's perfect heart, take The Gift -- or one of Ladinsky's two other Hafiz works, I Heard God Laughing and The Subject Tonight Is Love -- home with you!
These are NOT TRANSLATIONS OF HAFIZ........2007-06-30
This book was my first introduction to Hafiz. The poems in this book are all very beautiful. However, anyone picking it up, and anyone who is interested in Hafiz, should know that these are contemporary poems and are not genuine Hafiz poems. They are NOT translations of Hafiz poems. Ladinsky's poems are the ones most people in the West are likely to associate with the name Hafiz, and I guess that's good for Ladinsky, but many people have been upset by what he is doing. I encourage people to read the actual works of Hafiz.
delightful and enlightening..........2007-05-16
Whether you are a seeker of spiritual insights, or of great love poems, or both, this book belongs on your nightstand. Hafiz' poems are radiant with his delightful understanding of God and Love, and Ladinsky's translation of them is brilliant, rendering them as accessible and poignantly zany as e.e. cummings. It's wonderful for reading to someone you love (including yourself.)
Book Description
Presenting more than two hundred of the greatest haiku ever written about the game.
One of the most unusual baseball books of the 2007 season, this remarkable new collection, which includes poems from both America and Japan, captures perfectly the thrill of baseball—a double play, a game of catch, or the hushed pause as a pitcher looks in before hurling his pitch. Like haiku, the game is concerned with the nature of the seasons: joyous in the spring, thrilling in summer's heat, ripening with the descent of fall, and remembered fondly in winter. Featuring the work of Jack Kerouac, the king of the Beat writers, who penned the first American baseball haiku, and Alan Pizzarelli, a major American haiku poet, the collection also includes Masaoka Shiki, one of the four great pillars of Japanese haiku, who fell in love with baseball when he was a student in Tokyo. Baseball Haiku, a literary and baseball treasure, will make a marvelous gift for the baseball fan in your family.
Customer Reviews:
Haiku Hits a Stand-up Double.......2007-05-28
For a book of haiku --about baseball no less-- to break out into wider readership the way this book has is reminiscent of Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz bringing jazz into the popular music charts in the 1960's. My sister gave me this book for my birthday and, as Thomas Merton wrote, as long as it talks, I'm going to listen.
Cor van den Heuvel and Nanae Tamura have assembled a tour de force of baseball haiku. America brought baseball to Japan and Japan gifted this country with haiku. There is a most enjoyable introduction about the history of baseball haiku in both countries. The book has a long section of haiku by well-known, and less well-known, haiku poets in the United States, followed by a rich collection of translated Japanese haiku featuring the game. Van den Heuvel concludes with an appreciative essay on baseball in the United States and Japan.
Here are some samples which reflect moments which come in the world of baseball:
walking home
with his glove on his head
shrieking cicadas
Imai Sei
summer afternoon
the long fly ball to center field
takes its time
Cor van den Heuvel
dog days of summer
twenty-three games
out of first
Michael Ketchek
This last poem sounds the tone of melancholy, called wabi in the classic Japanese haiku tradition, which many of the haiku in this book capture beautifully and hauntingly, and which is certainly is eventually present for any young or aging participant (or observer) in the game. Here are a few more evocations:
while playing ball
it becomes time to go home
to supper
Kawahigashi Hekigoto
calm evening
the ballgame play-by-play
across the water
Jim Kacian
Baseball haiku, because of their brevity, will not provide the same kind of reading as Jimmy Breslin's writing about the 1962 Mets in his chapter "They're Afraid to Come Out," nor Ed Linn's reporting on Ted Williams' last game in 1960.
But they make their own special offering. Speaking of melancholy, in my case I grew up in the 1950's in Kansas City, which gives a certain meaning to the term Kansas City Blues. By the way, Cor van den Heuvel loves jazz too. Get the book.
Opening day's excitement and optimism.......2007-04-09
game of catch
the dog turns his head
back and forth
- Cor van den Heuvel
How often do sport and poetry meet? Both the game and the art form are elevated by this encounter. Baseball Haiku is a 200 page mini vacation; opening day's excitement and optimism richly captured in print. A masterful balance of background and content; approximately 230 haiku framed by author biographies, translations and history of the art.
If you like baseball you will love this book.
Amazon.com
One night, after an unsatisfying evening at a party, author Oriah Mountain Dreamer wrote the start of The Invitation. By the light of her streetlight, she began, "It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.... I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain...."
Her profound invitation (longer than is written here) became the framework for this wise and inspiring book. Chapter by chapter, the author uses passages from her "Invitation" to welcome readers into a life that is more soul fulfilling and passionate, and has far greater truth and integrity. In a sense, she invites readers to get a life instead of buying into a lifestyle. Each chapter ends with a guided meditation specific to the theme of the chapter, such as "The Joy" and "The Failure."
Despite her suspiciously New Age-sounding name, Oriah Mountain Dreamer is a highly grounded, practical, and honest writer. This fresh and beautifully packaged book is destined for great acclaim in the realm of spiritual inspiration. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
Visionary author Oriah Mountain Dreamer brings to life the wisdom of her beloved Ȯvitation, which has touched hearts everywhere with its fresh and spirited call to live life more deeply, honestly, and well.
Like the inspirations for Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten, Cherie Carter–Scott's If Life Is a Game, These are the Rules, and Margaret Fishback Power's Footprints, the poem that sparked The Invitation has been embraced around the world, passed along by thousands who have discovered and treasured its message. In this lovely gift book the author speaks from the heart, reflecting on everything from desire to betrayal and offering practical – and often surprising – suggestions for how to live the ecstasy of everyday life, learn to recognise true beauty in ourselves and the world around us, and how to find the sustenance that our spirit longs for.
The poem Invitation has been recited and quoted at countless spiritual conferences, and on network radio by Robert Bly, Jack Kornfield, Angeles Arrien, and many other spiritual leaders.
From the Invitation:
ȴ doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive ...'
Customer Reviews:
A life changer.......2007-03-18
My daughter introduced me to this book - her boyfriend had given it to her. I can't help but think that if more people passed it on like this that it would have a very positive effect in the world. Simplistic, maybe, but the book it full of optimistic ideas and thought provoking meditations that could make a big difference one person at a time.
Poor and Confusing.......2007-01-02
I bought this book for a friend based on the write up and the poem. Since he is away, I read through it and I am so glad I did. I am certainly not giving this as a gift, and I am glad to see that I am not the only who didn't like this book. Basically, I couldn't figure out her point. What is she talking about?
I felt mildly depressed after reading it, and found it to be confusing--it seemed just like a string of anecdotes without any substance.
I'm not sure that this is an invitation to, but sorry, Oriah, I don't accept.
The best Gift Ever..........2006-07-07
I received this book as a gift for my birthday from a friend of mine, and had no clue what to expect when I read it. I sat down and read through it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I then read it aloud to my boyfriend and my daughter and my son... and I sent excerpts of it to several of my online friends telling them they needed to buy this book. It's touching and emotional - but so powerful and beautifully written. I could not recommend this book enough - it's simply the best gift I've ever been given.
A most remarkable book.......2006-06-29
The Invitation helped me understand how I can enhance my own life when I embrace all of life -- as it is -- not as I want it to be. I have sent copies to my friends, children and grandchildren.
Wonderfully thought provoking!.......2006-05-22
This poem has resonated with me for several years now. I appreciated Mountain Dreamer's honest explanation into what inspired this powerful poem. It is not often that we get such insight into what situations inspire such works of art.
This book was very thought provoking for me, and is valuable in it's ability to encourage self examination and living more truthfully. One of the most engaging and inspirational books I've read.
Book Description
More than 1800 Markets for Poets to Send Their Work
*Includes 1800 updated markets for beginning and experienced poets
*Shares 150 new markets for 2007
*Provides technique and market-related instruction for poets submitting their work
An indispensable guide and the most complete resource available in the unique niche of poetry publishing, 2007 Poet's Market provides hundreds of listings as well as how-to articles on the art and craft of poetry. With new profiles on the Furious Flower Poetry Center, John Amen, and the founders of Rune, this edition provides 100% updated market listings and essential advice for poets of all skill levels."
Customer Reviews:
Poet's Market.......2007-09-27
Essential if you are serious about getting your work published and also an interesting read. Highly recommend it!
this is a poet's bible........2007-08-31
I can honestly say I have used this book and now I get published. It has helped me so much. If you are serious about poetry then this is a MUST own.
A Standard.......2007-08-16
POET'S MARKET is just one of those reference books that every poet should have. I get a new copy every year to keep up to date on submission policies and contests. I recommend this book.
Poet's helper.......2007-08-05
This book was very helpful in obtaining my dream of publishing my own book "Remedies for the Soul" After reading it and sending out correspondence to various leads in the book, one year to the day of purchase I was published and did not have to pay to be published.
Poetry Market.......2007-05-19
This is the best purchase for all writers of poetry and prose. It's extremely helpful with the necessary guidelines for you to submit your poetry. It is a must for all writers of poetry. It contains the most up to date information for this market, and you will find that there are a lot of markets to submit your poetry.Woman Reclining
Books:
- Don Quijote de la Mancha
- Donald Duk: A Novel
- Dragon's Gate (Golden Mountain Chronicles, 1867)
- Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
- Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
- Family Pictures, 15th Anniversary Edition / Cuadros de Familia, Edición Quinceañera
- Feeding the Hungry Heart: The Experience of Compulsive Eating
- Grindhouse: The Sleaze-filled Saga of an Exploitation Double Feature
- Hackmaster: Little Keep on the Borderlands
- Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America
Books Index
Books Home
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- Success With Rhododendrons and Azaleas, Revised Edition
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- Offshore: An Artist's View of Britain's Islands
- Romantic Rise of a Great American
- Communication 2000: Powerful Presentations: Learner Guide/CD Study Guide Package
A Three Dog Life
Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog
Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm
The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind
From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava
