The Essential W.S. Merwin Paperback – August 29, 2017

Some may say W.S Merwin was ahead of his time and I say he was right on time. His poetry is a special kind of magic that should set your soul ablaze. May I also suggest you learn about his life because he was, is and will always be the kind of person that I wanna be when I grow up.

W. S. Merwin has been writing poetry every day, then publishing it, for over sixty-five years: an astonishing productivity of excellence. Michael Wiegers's collection, reaching back to 1952 and extending to 2016, offers the essence of Merwin: his piquant clarity, a palette of many emotions, his remarkable juxtapositions of simple images into something incandescent, and his famous "turns": those moments when the poem's subject changes direction, often surprisingly, toward something unexpected. Lovers of poetry will want this on their shelves. Those who think they do not love poetry may themselves be turned by Merwin. "It is always for the animals that I grieved most / . . . the old words all deepen the great absence / the vastness of all that has been lost / it is still there when the poet in exile / looks up long ago hearing the voices / of wild geese far above him flying home" ("The Wild Geese," 2016).

The Essential WS Merwin is a nice quality paperback that is as pleasant to hold as it is too look at. It surveys poetry from across Merwin’s prolific life.

These poems and translations from W.S. Merwin are excellent and mostly essential. It is beautiful modern poetry.

In my 65 years I've read almost everything I could find with very few exceptions. One of those exceptions is poetry, other than some old narrative poetry such as Homer or Dante. But when William Merwin died several weeks ago, I thought it might be an opportunity to make a serious attempt at enjoying it. I'm very glad I did. Merwin writes particularly well of the environment but for me personally, I enjoyed those melancholy poems about personal loss and memory. I will read these again and will look for other writers who can made the same kind of intellectual and emotional challenges.

Poetry is not for everyone. And, Merwin's writing exists in a rarified atmosphere. If you're familiar with Merwin as an environmentalist, or you want to "read his mind," this sampling of his various poetic output is exceptional. It is a wonderfully produced book and worth having for that alone. Interestingly, the one poem he is probably most famous (or, infamous) for in popular literature - the one about the elephant - is excluded. I believe that the decision to leave it out was a wise one. Take a chance on this collection.

A beautiful collection, from one of our most gifted living poets. I love his work, and this is a must have for poets, those who love poetry,and those who appreciate beauty. Highly recommend!

Merwin is an American national treasure and a sublime poet of nature and memory. This is a representative sample of his work. Excellent introduction.

Fenomenal poetry!

As well as being such a good book it is also so attractive. A joy.