Long Life: Essays And Other Writings - Hardcover

Oliver, Mary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306809958 ISBN 13: 9780306809958

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2004

Synopsis

"The gift of Oliver's poetry is that she communicates the beauty she finds in the world and makes it unforgettable" ( Miami Herald ). This has never been truer than in Long Life , a luminous collection of seventeen essays and ten poems. With the grace and precision that are the hallmarks of her work, Oliver shows us how writing "is a way of offering praise to the world" and suggests we see her poems as "little alleluias." Whether describing a goosefish stranded at low tide, the feeling of being baptized by the mist from a whale's blowhole, or the "connection between soul and landscape," Oliver invites readers to find themselves and their experiences at the center of her world. In Long Life she also speaks of poets and writers: Wordsworth's "whirlwind" of "beauty and strangeness"; Hawthorne's "sweet-tempered" side; and Emerson's belief that "a man's inclination, once awakened to it, would be to turn all the heavy sails of his life to a moral purpose." With consummate craftsmanship, Mary Oliver has created a breathtaking volume sure to add to her reputation as "one of our very best poets" ( New York Times Book Review ).

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Oliver is the author of twenty books, including The Leaf and the Cloud and What Do We Know . Her many accolades include the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. She lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

From Booklist:

Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for her poetry, Oliver also writes exquisitely lucid prose. Here, in her most generously personal essays to date, she articulates the beliefs, observations, and inspirations that feed her poetry as she contemplates the majestic beauty of the earth and its splendid creatures, including humankind. Oliver ponders death and remembrance, marvels over the unexpected boon of an old town dump, considers the indelible impression left by childhood revelations of the power and mystery of nature, and reveals her literary legacy in a set of sterling tributes to Wordsworth, Emerson, and Hawthorne. And, finally, this essential American poet literally brings it all home in a radiant reflection on the crucial "connection between soul and landscape." Donna Seaman
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About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0306809958
• ISBN 13: 9780306809958
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 120