susansigel

e.e. cummings _Is 5_ is good. I often think that cummings's reputation gets in the way of enjoying his poetry, especially at an academic level. This is one of his earlier books, and the opening preface gives a perfect voicing of his aesthetic platform. While cummings is obviously an intellectual descendant of Whitman and Transcendentalism, for my own purposes, I tend to see a lot of connections between him and Neruda, spiritually. All of the beauty and soul Neruda finds in the physical land surrounding him, I think cummings conveys in a more airy realm of twisted syntax and subtle rhyme. Even Neruda's more political poetry (which I don't care for) has a companion in cummings's sympathetic portraits of prostitutes, soldiers, his parents, and other people who populated his cities. To get involved with e.e. cummings's actual books, as opposed to collections, this is an excellent start.

2022-11-14 17:26