The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem: From Baudelaire to Anne Carson

incredible anthology. i read it from back to front to see the changes in prose poetry over time. there are poems from here that i think about daily. if you’re looking to learn more about prose poetry or already a fan there’s something in here for you!

It came all the way from England. How exciting. What an entrancing book of prose. It is superb hardback. High quality.

Different poets through the years

I bought this for myself for my birthday because i am that kinda gal. do not regret. will be reading this constantly. a fantastic reference book, but also just as pleasant to sift through in a comfy chair with a mug of tea.

Liked the poems, disliked the lack of commentary and biographical information on the poets.

I started reading this book on prose poetry with hope to learn more about a "genre" which is usually omitted from anthologies of poetry. Now I know why. This collection is mostly tedious, bland, boring, trite, trivial paragraphs about mostly nothing. I annotated the first few entries as follows: Is this a joke? This is an essay. Babbly. Silliness. Over written. A mere paragraph. And so forth. How this sad expose of the dreary inner lives of poets receives more than a single star is a matter for me to resolve in my own tiresome prose poem or not. I eagerly donated it to the local library to sell for a $1.00.For collections of prose poetry that are filled with beautiful writing both recent and past, the following are a pleasure to read: The Party Train: A Collection of North American Prose Poetry; Great American Prose Poems; and Field Guide to Prose Poetry. Enjoy!

The editor frequently excerpted passages from much longer sources, so the object or person being described often remained mysterious. The main criterion for selection seemed to be knotty language. Not that many of the entries even seemed intended as prose poems, a genre which surely has some other virtue besides obscurity.

I liked whatever I read. Only thing, it could have been ordered better.

A wonderful collection of prose poetry covering a wide range from the more serious to the humorous. It's a good way to get an overview of prose poetry and delve deeper from here.

Book arrived just a few days after I ordered it and it is a new copy. A lovely addition to my library. Thank you to the vendor for excellent service.

A broadly encompassing volume touching all the bases and even uncovering new ones. Compiled with expertise, imagination and curiosity. Outstanding work of taste and scholarship.

If the measure of a book lies in its ability to surprise, engage and broaden your horizons - I really can't think of a better example from 2018. The idea of prose poem most immediately conjures up associations with the French Symbolist avant garde of Baudelaire, Mallarmé and Rimbaud - and there are certainly selections from all here - but the what Noel-Tod has put together here is broad and beautiful, stretching from comic vignettes, to descriptive sketches, memoirs, dramatic monologues & gnomic riddles. You can dip in at random and on virtually every page there's something you want to return to. Easily my book of the year.