American Originality

February 1, 2017
A celebrated poet collects some recent essays on theory, craft, and other poets.In her second essay collection, after Proofs and Theories (1994), Gluck (English and Creative Writing/Yale Univ.; Faithful and Virtuous Night, 2014, etc.), who has won about every major poetry prize, delivers a generous variety of pieces. Some deal with the current state of American poetry; some are admiring assessments of her fellow poets (Emily Dickinson, Robert Pinsky, Stephen Dobyns, Dan Chiasson); and one group of 10 comprises introductions to first books by new poets, artists whose work Gluck has evaluated for various writing contests. These pieces, unsurprisingly, are uniformly laudatory ("mastery of tone and diction"; "haunting, elusive, luminous")--though, as the essays clearly reveal, the poets themselves are hardly uniform. These pieces also feature many quoted passages. Of course, the more heavily theoretical pieces will appeal primarily to Gluck's fellow poets and to the literati. The author observes, for example, that recent poetry "affords two main types of incomplete sentences: the aborted whole and the sentence with gaps. In each case, the nonexistent, the unspoken, becomes a focus; ideally, a whirling concentration of questions." Near the end are more personal essays that deal with Gluck's childhood, her years in psychoanalysis, and her insights about the varying effects of happiness and despair on poets. She convincingly argues that happiness is the more beneficial, productive emotion, for it does not deny the writer access to the dark side. Another entertaining and revelatory piece explores the author's childhood revenge fantasies and how, uniquely, they accelerated her journey into the world of poetry. And there are smiles (maybe even a guffaw or two) in some of her observations--e.g., that Rilke could be "oddly masturbatory." A love of poetry--of the poet's life--infuses these essays and brings a glow to the theoretical and a bright flame to the personal.

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April 1, 2017
National Book Awardwinning Gluck's (Faithful and Virtuous Night, 2014) poems are vital palimpsests; so, too, are her essays, penetrating inquiries stoked by immersive reading and rigorous thinking. Her second prose collection begins with two astute, mind-expanding dissections of two facets of our national identity and literature. In the title piece, Gluck tests America's ardor for originality, which she freshly redefines and identifies as a source of hope and possibility, qualities essential to democracy. In American Narcissism, she considers how the American character is reflected in the projection of the self in the work of poets ranging from Whitman to Mark Strand, C. K. Williams, and John Ashbery. She writes of her joy in serving as a judge for major first-book poetry prizes and presents 10 expert and exuberant introductions to such exciting poets as Dana Levin, Spencer Reece, and Arda Collins. Gluck then wraps up her incisive and sophisticated volume with piquant personal essays on writing for revenge and learning how not to fear happiness.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2016

Winner of the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award, among other honors, Gluck here speaks persuasively about the state of contemporary poetry.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2017

Celebrated poet Gluck's second book of essays is a study of contemporary American poetry. It explores the lingering and sometimes overwhelming influence of such figures as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, as well as offering a generous introduction to several poets who are probably unknown to most readers. These introductions offer an open window on the current state of poetry and allow us the opportunity to peer inside, with the help of an intelligent and engaging guide. Gluck's originality isn't so much in how she sees but in what she sees, and her openness permits her to observe things readers might gloss over. In particular, the essay "American Narcissism" is a masterpiece of critical insight, finding its most powerful focus in the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke in a moment of pure brilliance. Without denigrating Rilke's many gifts, Gluck connects the voyeuristic trend in American poetry (a tendency to prize "fastidious aesthetics" and "the exposure of the secret") to his influence. VERDICT Seemingly free of literary prejudice or poetic theory, Gluck looks at poetry with open eyes, seeking that which catches her off guard or excites her soul. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 10/3/16.]--Herman Sutter, St. Agnes Acad., Houston

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017

Celebrated poet Gluck's second book of essays is a study of contemporary American poetry. It explores the lingering and sometimes overwhelming influence of such figures as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, as well as offering a generous introduction to several poets who are probably unknown to most readers. These introductions offer an open window on the current state of poetry and allow us the opportunity to peer inside, with the help of an intelligent and engaging guide. Gluck's originality isn't so much in how she sees but in what she sees, and her openness permits her to observe things readers might gloss over. In particular, the essay "American Narcissism" is a masterpiece of critical insight, finding its most powerful focus in the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke in a moment of pure brilliance. Without denigrating Rilke's many gifts, Gluck connects the voyeuristic trend in American poetry (a tendency to prize "fastidious aesthetics" and "the exposure of the secret") to his influence. VERDICT Seemingly free of literary prejudice or poetic theory, Gluck looks at poetry with open eyes, seeking that which catches her off guard or excites her soul. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 10/3/16.]--Herman Sutter, St. Agnes Acad., Houston

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 16, 2017
In Glück’s second book of essays (after Proofs and Theories), she carefully considers the makeup of the American aesthetic as a doctor would diagnose a patient. She begins with pragmatism, noting that an alternative interpretation of “self-made” is to make oneself up; in other words, create a self that is a lie. In discussing contemporary poetic narcissism’s historical roots, Glück denounces weak imitations of Dickinson and Rilke. She explores uses of non sequitur, both effective, such as by Frank O’Hara, and ineffective, as vehicles for “intellectual fraud.” Glück’s characteristic wit and incisiveness are ever present. In highlighting C.K. Williams’s ability to contain multiple universes of alternate scenarios, she declares these poems to “have more other hands than a Hindu god.” In “Fear of Happiness,” Glück explores the artistic fixation on suffering, arguing that the artist who insists on pain as a prerequisite to creation is locked in a cycle of dependency and—even worse—banality. The middle section contains introductory essays culled from a decade of judging first-book poetry prizes, including illuminating analysis of Dana Levin, Richard Siken, and Jessica Fisher, among others. This is advanced literary theory, requiring careful reading and a fair amount of background knowledge of contemporary poetry, but Glück’s tone is conversational and accessible, and her opinions are invaluable.