Theodore Roethke Books

The only thing wrong with this book is that there should be more of it.
Roethke represents a watershed in American letters, a watershed we kids slobbered down the wrong side of, the side not his. For delicacy of daring the difficult to bear, even to notice, he can hardly be surpassed, and this almost without ever choking up the voice -- his or ours.

"A late rose ravages the casual eye," writes Roethke in A Walk in Late Summer, "a blaze of being on a central stem." In such images we see the symbols of nature fully tapped in modern poetry -- and tapped in American English, in fresh, vivid language that overpowers the reader with its grace and presence. The poetry of Theodore Roethke is written by a man profoundly alive -- skirting the edge of suicide, losing his voice in the awe of love, reeling wildly in the throes of "the pure fury," and looking at last with calm eyes into infinity and his own undoing in the Far Field. Roethke was a true descendent of Whitman where the latter wrote "This is no book / Who touches this touches a man." But Roethke's poetry moves us as much by its lyrical language as by the power and wisdom of its experience. Roethke himself was, as represented by his art alone, a "blaze of being."

Among Roethke's contributions to literature are his poems that treat depression. Far from letting his manic episodes paralyze him, he used them to write some his most intense poetry. "In a Dark Time" is one of the immortal poems of the 20th century, worthy to be set aside a Van Gogh painting. Roethke was not alone in treating these subjects: two other Pulitzer Prize-winning poets of his time, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, learned from him and wrote about similar themes. But Roethke's writing stands out in two ways from these poets and other poets the 50's and 60's.

One is the unity of his work and vision -- this Collected Poems traces a single spiritual journey beginning with his childhood memories of the greenhouse, and ending somewhere among "the windy cliffs of forever", last visions tragically cut short by his early death. Between those points are rendered all of the experiences of his life -- as he wrote in his first poem, "my heart keeps open-house." But he never fails to interpret these experiences and understand their significance in the larger picture of his life and poetry. Unlike so much of the poetry of Sylvia Plath and other Confessional poets, Roethke never demands that you read his biography to understand his symbolism. Rather, his symbols develop among his poems to form a kind of mythology: his recurring symbols include stones, fire, light, "the small," and the spirit.

The other difference between Roethke and other poets of his time is his technique. Roethke is never obscure; he always writes in fresh language, avoiding cliches, although his symbols are indeed personal and take time to understand. Roethke's craft is "strict and pure," such that even the staunchest defenders of Sylvia Plath have confessed that Roethke's writing is more disciplined. The Deep Image movement of poets like Robert Bly and James Wright is influenced by the kind of symbolism found throughout Roethke's poetry, and those writers have acknowledged their debt to him. Roethke retained rhyme and meter in a time when all the conventions of poetry were being ripped apart; and he did so with a consummate technical skill not to be found in the Beatniks or in the Black Mountain poets. Roethke's ear for poetry is much more sensitive than that of other poets of his time. We are gagged by the lyricism in lines like

"She came toward me in the flowing air,
A shape of change, encircled by its fire."
("The Dream")

"When all
My waterfall
Fancies sway away
From me, in the sea's silence..."
("Her Time")

"O love, you who hear
The slow tick of time
In your sea-buried ear..."
("Song")


The most exhilarating of all these are Roethke's love poems in "Words for the Wind", which justly won the Bollingen Prize and the National Book Award. These poems are unmatched for eloquence and spiritual intensity -- and it's a damn shame that modern anthologies do not reprint them, aside from the famous "I Knew a Woman." For it is in these love poems that Roethke's soul soars, and his poetic power is fully realized.

"She knew the grammar of least motion."
("The Dream")

"Light listened when she sang."
("Light Listened")

"I measure time by how a body sways."
("I Knew a Woman").


Theodore Roethke achieved greatness in art by having the courage to confront the most intense human experiences and the skill to craft them into some of the most eloquent poems of his time. If there is ONE modern poet you will read, let it be Roethke. His "Collected Poems" is a must for every poet and every lover of poetry.

I relished Roethke when I first read him in high school, along with Hart Crane, e.e. cummings, and the Beats. I still admired him in college, when I wrote poetry myself, and regarded most other "living" poets with suspicious disdain. Many poets I loved then have lost some of their charm for me (my loss, not theirs) but, forty five years later, I still read Roethke. Does that speak to you?

To My Sister; The Heron; No Bird; Elegy for Jane; She; Her Reticence; The Meadow Mouse; and of course, My Papa's Waltz--these are all some of the great poems that Theodore Roethke wrote. Roethke is one of our American masters. I found that when he was on his game (as he was in the poems above, among others) his poetry was phenomenal, but when he wasn't, his poetry could be awful. His earlier work is better than his later work, though he seems to have gotten most of his recognition for his later work. Still, for the poetry lover this is pretty much a required volume for your shelves.

At first, I was heitant to delve into this author's work simply because I'd never heard of him in all my wide readings of poetry, both modern and old.

Don't make the same mistake I did. Roethke WILL NOT disappoint you. "The Lost Son" has become my new favourite poem, and this book goes with me perpetually, and will until I finish every line in it.

Exquisite.

If you like contemporary poetry this is the book for you. The wide range of styles contained in the book is amazing. It revived my own desire and ability to write. It is the perfect companion to Six American Poets. I can not wait for Conarroe's next work.

Ah, a fine comparison and contrast in studies on the eight best American confessional poets ever. Kudos to the editor on a fine choice of poems, and candid biographies on each poet. Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Allen Ginsberg, John Berryman, Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop and the other guy, here's to you.

"Eight American Poets," edited by Joel Conarroe, is a fine anthology. The introduction notes that this book was "designed as a companion volume to 'Six American Poets,'" also edited by Conarroe. "Eight" follows the same plan as "Six": rather than anthologize a huge company of poets who are represented by only a few pieces each, each of Conarroe's books focuses on a relatively small group of poets, each of whom is represented by a substantial selection. Conarroe's approach allows the reader to get a fuller feel of each poet in the anthology format.

The poets of "Eight" are Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Berryman, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsburg, and James Merrill. Each poet's work is prefaced by a substantial individual introduction.

There are many masterpieces in this book. Curiously, I found the most compelling poems to be those that focus on nature: Roethke's "The Meadow Mouse," Bishop's "The Fish," Plath's "Mushrooms," and Merrill's "The Octopus." Poems like these combine skillfully used language with keen insight, and reveal these poets to be true heirs of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson (two of the featured artists in "Six American Poets").

Overall, I felt that "Eight" was not as strong as its sister volume, "Six." Although there are many poetic masterpieces in "Eight," there is also much material which, in my opinion, hasn't aged well. The so-called "confessional poetry" of some of these writers strikes me as overwrought. Some of the longer poems failed to resonate with me. I was particularly disappointed by Berryman's "Homage to Mistress Bradstreet," especially since I am an admirer of Anne Bradtreet's own work. Admittedly, this criticism may merely reflect my own personal tastes, but I submit it for the reader's consideration.

The fact that so many of these poets either wrote about each other, or pop up in the editor's introductions to each others' work, sometimes gives the book as a whole a creepy, incestuous feel. And the fact that so many of these poets committed suicide, had long-term mental health problems, and/or suffered from addictions further gives the book as a whole a rather morbid feel. On second thought, maybe this group of eight is a bit problematic!

Still, editor Conarroe has assembled an impressive anthology that I would recommend for students and teachers, as well as to a general readership. Although a mixed bag, "Eight American Poets" contains some truly enduring work by an octet whose legacy is secure.

For someone just coming into an appreciation of poetry-somewhat suspiciously like myself-Conarroe's anthology approach is perfect: concentrate on just a few major poets and provide an introduction to each and a generous sampling of their poetry.

I have owned this book for several years now and it introduced me to what are now some of my favorite poets (Elizabeth Bishop, Theodore Roethke, Anne Sexton, Robert Lowell). It is a book that I go back to time and time again, and I encourage anyone to include it in their collection.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

.........the best known and loved poetry of eight well-known twentieth century American poets. Includes well known poems such as Bishop's "The Fish", Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz", Berryman's "Dream Songs", Merrill's "Lost in Translation", Sexton's "Ringing the Bells", and many others.

Like Conarroe's "Six American Poets", the anthology introduces us to each poet with a short biography that is presented before the poet's work. We learn about their lives and come to understand some of the primary forces that have shaped their poetry. I have found that this greatly enriches the experience of reading poetry because I better see the struggles that lead to each individual creation. After each collection, Conarroe offers a list of books and anthologies where each poet has been published so that we, should we wish, can come to know the work of a given poet much better.

This anthology is a wonderful starting place for someone who, like me, desires an introduction to some of the greatest American poetry ever produced. Personally, I feel, after reading this anthology that I have come to truly appreciate the work of Elizabeth Bishop and Theodore Roethke, in particular. I had never known their work well, but suddenly each jumped off the page at me, Bishop for her wonderfully vivid descriptions and Roethke for his intensely moving subjects. Plath and Sexton also really spoke to me, their work so reflecting their lives. Overall, this anthology is superbly worthwhile reading!

Ted Roethke springs to life from these pages-brilliant, astonishingly arrogant and hugely insecure. Seager links this combination to Roethke's father's death, but acknowledges a great deal of it was either innate or due to Ted having grown up as a sensitive boy in a very non-literary area of the world. Ted believed his poetry was consistently undervalued. Seager labels Ted as an "operator," by which he means that Ted strived in his poetry, not just to improve his skill, but also to bring it to the attention of poets who might critique it, publish it, review it, award him prizes for it, or otherwise be useful in his career. He worked tirelessly on improving his poetry and pushing the envelope OF poetry, while at the same time shamelessly promoting his own work and striving to become known as a poet. In between all this he suffered episodes of mania which led to various periods in institutions. A former co-worker of Roethke's, Seager paints an unforgettable portrait of the man behind the poems. A must-read for any Roethke acolyte.

The author writes about Roethke from the viewpoint of a colleague, fellow writer, and friend. Seager divides the book into 15 chapters: Roethke's Birthplace, Roethke's Family, Childhood, His Father's Death, College, The Beginnings of Poetry, Trouble, The First Book, The Lost Son and Other Poems, Working Methods, The West Coast, Marriage and the Pulitzer Prize, The Prizes, the Awards, and The last years.

Seager's Roethke emerges as a man of contradictions. Moreover, in many cases, says Seager, Roethke outright lied in order to forge himself ahead; yet the reader comes away with the suspicion that Roethke never really lied, that either he believed what he was saying was true or that it could have been true under the right circumstances.

Seager doesn't so much discuss Roethke's work as he sets the stage for how Roethke's work came to be and how he wrestled with what it means to be a poet. During the course of the book, Seager considers Roethke's birthplace, his time of birth, his family, his education, and, finally, Roethke's need to find his noblest self. The introduction by Donald Hall is both informative and revealing as well.

At the center of Seager's discussion of Roethke's poetry career is Roethke's mental illness which may have accounted for both the best and worst moments of Roethke's too short life.

This is a book for Roethke's fans, those who love authors and literature, and/or those who are writers. Writers, especially, will be intrigued, I think. Seager's handling of the subject matter is as grand as his subject.

This book is the most incredible collection of random scribbling I will ever find. This, Roethke's 'Collected Poems' and Camus' 'Lyrical & Critical Essays' comprise my collection of most sacred books. The outstanding feature of Straw for the Fire is that the scribblings are so overwhelming emotionally. Roethke is one of the most underrated poets to ever exist, and his talent is so obvious by this book of spur the moment thoughts and unfinished poems. If you love Roethke's work -- any or all of it -- this is a must-have. It says so much about him as a poet, a human being, someone whose confusion and awe of life are so charismatic. His weakness and strength shows plainly and beautifully in this incredible collection.

i first saw this book in the hands of a boy who admired the brevity and stark reality of these words. these lingering tangents are for readers who sometimes admire just the leaves rather than the whole tree.

There a poets, like Richard Hugo, Leslie Norris, and Nelson Bentley who approach the brilliance of Ted Roethke near the speed of light, but Roethke is their father, their bright sun of origin. Roethke could take an observation and give it the words that would make it alive to any future reader. Not only alive, but present, immediate, and touchable. "I knew a woman, lovely in her bones..." We have all seen that woman, and Roethke gives her life, just as he did in "Elegy for Jane", his former student.

If there ever is a Master of the Universe prize in Poetry, Ted Roethke should be its first recipient.

Important new insights into the full body of Roethke's art are unearthed in La Belle's perceptive, highly readable text. Shunning the exclusivity of Roethke's personal vision in deference to his obvious reliance upon literary tradition (specifically, poets such as Wordsworth, Blake, Whitman, Eliot and Yeats), La Belle offers a greater perspective on the depth and scope of the poet's work. A former student of Roethke, La Belle says as much about the mimetic instincts of the poetic method (as a conscious and subconscious servant of tradition) as she does about Roethke's particular style, which developed from direct imitation to an assimilation of poetic tradition in concord with his own creative imagination. She provides, in clear, concise detail, much needed close interpretations of particular poems, placing them, line by line, in direct comparison with their inspirational progenitors. Each point that she makes is fortified by quotations and charged with an intellectual perspicacity which further enlightens the reader. No serious student of Roethke, or of the poetic method in general, can afford to overlook this valuable study.

Poetry, perhaps, began its own demise with a stepping away from the common man, or with a fanciful idea that it must be high art comparable to the masters Shakespeare, Keats, the Brownings. What is often missed is that the language in which Shakespeare and these others wrote their work was the language of their day. Generations of lesser poets have tried to make poetry into something that it is not. As Ron Buck says in his foreword, a bloodline of myth, fantasy and abstract self indulgence has taken a seat in the halls of academic poetry.
Well, I am here to proclaim to all who will listen that this book, this collection of rejections from the prestigious literary world has come to return poetry back to the common man. It is not the same blue collar poetry of Charles Bukowski, but it is fine well crafted work much like Theodore Roethke and the open-road walking verse of Walt Whitman.
"Sanctuary" and "Hand-me-downs", the opening shots of this collection set the tone for the life of a coastal New Englander. The Harvard halls do not show up here, but the knife blade of an oyster farmer can be felt in your hand as it unhinges the shell and takes the meat in "Shucking".
Life is what Ron Buck brings to the table, and even an old Oklahoma cowboy or Indian like myself can see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it in the words he has crafted as a fine carpenter planes, shapes and finishes wood for his project.
The book is poetry. It is art both visual and auditory; to hear Ron read is a whole other experience. It is formed, and it is free, not bound by the expectations of an academic class. It is the two by four framing of a house, the fine finish work of a cabinet maker, the weathered hands of a fisherman, the architectural eye of a landscaper and always, always it holds the heart of man and the mind of a philosopher twined together like like the climbing tendrils of a vining flower.
I own this book, and it sits proudly on the shelf with Dickey and Kooser and Komunyaaka. It has a place up there with Ken Nye and Lynn Doiron next to my volumes of Seamus Heaney and N. Scott Momaday, right up there with old Walt himself. When it comes right down to it, poetry should speak the truth as an individual sees it. That has always been what set the masters apart from the rest, not some preconceived idea established by robed and tasseled professors or lesser men with no understanding of humanity. Poetry is what moves us to be what we can become and to appreciate what we have been given. Ron Buck is a poet.

When perusing this volume, you will be struck by how skillfully the author manages to strike a balance between letters and his own interpretation. You are taken on a journey of Roethke's poetic process; the text explores the why and how of Roethke's work in a subtle yet understanding way. This is a good read for those who wish to learn more about the private mind behind Roethke's published writing, and those who wish to gain a better appreciation of how one literary mind shapes and guides another.

I replaced an earlier collection of Roethke with this one. I like the binding and it will last until my children's children. I have been passionate about his work (went to the Univ of WA to be near him) since the very early sixties, and re-reading today find the poems stronger still, seeing them in a light that resonates with the earthiness that I feel calls to all of us. He used raw, earthen, everyday experience as metaphor for life emotions. Great book, nice collector's edition.

I bought this Atlas for my son for Christmas. I wish I had gotten one for myself. It has beautiful pictures and is full of other interesting and educational information you don't find in other books of this kind.
The Atlas was received very promptly and as usual Amazon gave me a great price for this product. Thank you Amazon.

This is an excellent atlas. It contains full-color maps with
important segmented areas to depict mountains, rivers etc.
There is a separate section on the standard of living in various
areas of the world, literacy by region, energy/resources,
regional climate and a panoramic map of the whole world.
This atlas contains a wealth of information in an easy-to-read
format.

I was hoping to get an up-to-date version of the Hammond International World Atlas (1973), with the same format but with the many changes that have made the old atlas obselete. I found it very convenient to have the cities, counties, departments, etc, pertaining to a country to be in the same location as the map. The new format, with all names listed in the back, is not very handy. I miss the topographical maps, which were much more useful than the aerial photos now included. My request: If you ever go back to the old format, let me know and I will order immediately, and give my new atlas to the grandchildren.

If you're looking for illustrations of country flags, as I was, you can skip this atlas. There are none. Zero. I have to refer to my 1988 Hammond Atlas to see flags, and that is largely outdated.

Otherwise it's a good atlas. High quality maps and other useful information. Best value for the money, if you don't care to see country flags.

The Hammond World Atlas is one of the best atlases available - and at a reasonable price. It is computer-generated and is one of the most colorful atlases. The shading is also exceptionally accurate and amazing. The satellite section shows a variety of environments, and they are all large, clear, and colorful. The cities are labeled by population, a useful feature. The thematic section is also quite fun to read. The map projections and relief are extremely consistent. Depending on your needs, either the Oxford or Hammond is the best one for you, or buy them both!