The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley, 1945-1975

By Robert Creeley

Book Overview

Robert Creely, Wilmington, N.C., June 29, 1981: There is a sense of increment, of accumulation, in these poems that is very dear to me. Like it or not, it outwits whatever I then thought to say and gains thereby whatever I was in saying it. Thankfully, I was never what I thought I was, certainly never enough. Otherwise, when it came time to think specifically of this collection and of what might be decorously omitted, I decided to stick with my initial judgments, book by tender book, because these were the occasions most definitive of what the poems might mean, either to me or to anyone else. To define their value in hindsight would be to miss the factual life they had either made manifest or engendered. So everything that was printed in a book between the dates of 1945 and 1975 is here included as are also those poems published in magazines or broadsides. In short, all that was in print is here. I'm delighted that they are all finally together, respected, included, each with their place--like some ultimate family reunion I feel much relieved to see them now as a company at last. I'm tempted to invoke again those poets who served as a measure and resource for me all my life as a poet. But either they will be heard here, in the words and rhythms themselves, or one will simply know the. This time I am, in this respect, alone these are my poems. We are a singular compact. Finally, there's no end to any of it, or none we'll know that simply. But I'm very relieved that this much, like they say, is done. So be it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520241584
• ISBN13: 9780520241589
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 681 Pages
• Weight: 1.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

an innovator

Using simple phrases and a lot of white space, Robert Creeley is a innovator of modern verse that suffuses mystery into the mundune. He is straightforward, spare, uses very few metaphors. He is an absolute master of measure, using the sound of the words and the pauses in between to create beautiful, haunting verse. It is difficult to be cerebral while reading his work, the poetry never explains or describe but is made to be experienced as a bodily phenomenon. It engages a quieter, deeper more subtle appreciation challenging for a modern readership used to instant gratifications.

Robert Creeley will one your eyes

Out of all of my books it is the only one that for over 15 years I have read something from everyday. I think the sign of a good book is one that you can open randomly and always be turned around by the words before you.

The Line Breaks

these poems and the silence surrounding them are uncanny. I know no other word for it. he makes ordinary statements sound interesting because of his uncanny phrasing and subtle line breaks. you can learn more about writing from an hour spent with creeley's work than with just about anyone else, except ashbery.