A Muriel Rukeyser Reader

A thinker's book. Wonderful to read Rukeyser wrestle with and explain life, art, thought. She is by turns poet, biographer, essayist and character. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Her art and criticism explore the same themes. The effect is surprisingly consistent in a book comprised of several incomplete selections. If you have any doubts, find a poem or two of hers and try it on for size (Gauley Bridge, for example). If you're fascinated, try this volume. Here's a sample. Rukeyser on poetry (from The Life of Poetry): "A first-rate scientist, or a fine prose writer, is able to say, 'How can I know a good poem? I can tell an honest piece of work in my own field from a phony piece of work, but how can I tell a fine poem from a phony poem? And what has to be said to such a question is that these are people who cannot trust their emotional reactions, their total reactions."

Muriel Rukeyser was certainly a terrific and fascinating poet. These are strange and striking creations, and originality is present on every page. I don't know how she got stuck with Adrienne Rich as her introducer, but one may skip that and go on to a memorable experience. Rukeyser was a true original.