Louise Glück

The First Four Books of Poems collects the early work that established Louise Gluck as one of America's most original and important poets. Honored with the Pulitzer Prize for The WildIris, Gluck was celebrated early in her career for her fierce, austerely beautiful voice. InFirstborn, The House on Marshland Wand, Descending Figure, and The Triumph of Achilles, which wonthe National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, we see the conscious progression of apoet who speaks with blade-like accuracy and stirring depth.

First Four Books Of Poems

Louise Glück is a former Poet Laureate and winner of both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize. So I knew that when I embarked on my year of poetry, she definitely had to be includes. As the title states, this book collects her first four published books of poetry in one bind-up. I found it very interesting to follow her career from the very beginning, and to see how her style changed and solidified as she grew into her own voice. I’m not a huge fan of this type of blank free verse, as I tend to gravitate towards poetry with a meter and rhythm I can hear in my mind, but that’s a personal preference. Her work grew on me as I progressed further into her career. 

There were quite a few pieces in the final portion of this collection, 

, that I quite enjoyed. Some of these were “Baskets,” “The Reproach,” and “A Parable.” Something I’ve realized about myself as a reader of poetry is that I’ll always appreciate works that are retellings or inspired in some way by a myth or a folktale or an actual historical event, which I think is why this last book of poems in the collection resonated more with me than the first three. While I didn’t enjoy the entire collection as much as I had hoped to, I do very much respect Glück’s work, and it’s easy to see why she’s so lauded. I’d be interested to read some poetry from later in her career to compare to these.

Celeste Richardson

Louise Glück is a former Poet Laureate and winner of both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize. So I knew that when I embarked on my year of poetry, she definitely had to be includes. As the title states, this book collects her first four published books of poetry in one bind-up. I found it very interesting to follow her career from the very beginning, and to see how her style changed and solidified as she grew into her own voice. I’m not a huge fan of this type of blank free verse, as I tend to gravitate towards poetry with a meter and rhythm I can hear in my mind, but that’s a personal preference. Her work grew on me as I progressed further into her career. 

There were quite a few pieces in the final portion of this collection, The Triumph of Achilles, that I quite enjoyed. Some of these were “Baskets,” “The Reproach,” and “A Parable.” Something I’ve realized about myself as a reader of poetry is that I’ll always appreciate works that are retellings or inspired in some way by a myth or a folktale or an actual historical event, which I think is why this last book of poems in the collection resonated more with me than the first three. While I didn’t enjoy the entire collection as much as I had hoped to, I do very much respect Glück’s work, and it’s easy to see why she’s so lauded. I’d be interested to read some poetry from later in her career to compare to these.

Prashant Prasad

‘the hills are far away. they rise up blacker than childhood. what do you think of, lying so quietly by the water? when you look that way i want to touch you, but do not, seeing as in another life we were of the same blood’ AAAAAAHHHHHH

First Four Books Of Poems

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