Poems deal with love, travel, myth, friendship, the past, the seasons, mortality, and language
"Lucidity, precision, rhythmical poise, sentiment, intelligence, and the rigors of a conscious craft that liberated the imagination--these were the poetic values James Wright cherished, and they remain the keynotes of "Above the River," a splendid new edition of his work. . . . His best poems, with their grace and intelligence, not only stand as a rebuke to most of the glib work of his time, but remain among the finest examples of the midcentury American lyric. His poems continue, as a phrase from one of them puts it, to break into blossom."--J.D. McClatchy, "The New York Times Book Review"
"What makes him great is his constant openheartedness: he is not self-absorbed. His work explores a full range of feeling; he found much to celebrate and praise as well as to lament; he affirmed the good in life however limited."--Karen Whitehall, "The Virginia Quarterly Review"
"A tough and touching poet who, while never relinquishing his Midwestern roots, found ways to grow as a poet, with a deepening sense of tradition and of the nature of the factory he labored in."--Christopher Benfey, "The New Republic"
Lucidity, precision, rhythmical poise, sentiment, intelligence, and the rigors of a conscious craft that liberated the imagination--these were the poetic values James Wright cherished, and they remain the keynotes of "Above the River," a splendid new edition of his work. . . . His best poems, with their grace and intelligence, not only stand as a rebuke to most of the glib work of his time, but remain among the finest examples of the midcentury American lyric. His poems continue, as a phrase from one of them puts it, to break into blossom. "J.D. McClatchy, The New York Times Book Review"
What makes him great is his constant openheartedness: he is not self-absorbed. His work explores a full range of feeling; he found much to celebrate and praise as well as to lament; he affirmed the good in life however limited. "Karen Whitehall, The Virginia Quarterly Review"
A tough and touching poet who, while never relinquishing his Midwestern roots, found ways to grow as a poet, with a deepening sense of tradition and of the nature of the factory he labored in. "Christopher Benfey, The New Republic""
"Lucidity, precision, rhythmical poise, sentiment, intelligence, and the rigors of a conscious craft that liberated the imagination--these were the poetic values James Wright cherished, and they remain the keynotes of Above the River, a splendid new edition of his work. . . . His best poems, with their grace and intelligence, not only stand as a rebuke to most of the glib work of his time, but remain among the finest examples of the midcentury American lyric. His poems continue, as a phrase from one of them puts it, to break into blossom." --J.D. McClatchy, The New York Times Book Review
"What makes him great is his constant openheartedness: he is not self-absorbed. His work explores a full range of feeling; he found much to celebrate and praise as well as to lament; he affirmed the good in life however limited." --Karen Whitehall, The Virginia Quarterly Review
"A tough and touching poet who, while never relinquishing his Midwestern roots, found ways to grow as a poet, with a deepening sense of tradition and of the nature of the factory he labored in." --Christopher Benfey, The New Republic
