<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A rare work from one of this generation's greatest
Review: It is very easy to automatically compare Seamus Heaney with WB Yeats: they are both Irish, they both write about Irish legend and the Irish landscpae, yet the similaritiues stop there. In the first publications of poems from Heaney since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature he deals with subjects which strike a chord of sincerity for his reader, as was the case in many of his earlier poems, but this latest work is more stylistically controlled. This does not mean that he stays within a more limited framework, on the contrary, you feel that this collection is a fist hand demonstration of the growth of Heaney as a poet. He tackles the highly complex and political theme of the Ireland Troubles brilliantly in 'Mycenae Lookout', but then returns to the evocatively simple style that we find in 'St Kevin and the Blackbird'. The whle collection is so efforlessly skillful that you wonder why it took him so long to complete it. It is only after the second or third reading that the deeper complexities are absorbed. It is here that the reader may find some of the weaknesses of the collection. Heaney, although a master of his style, his poetry is not quite as intricate as, say TS Eliot, nor is it as impassioned or spontaneous as Beaudelaire (not that I am Heaney specifically to these poets alone, they too have their many weaknesses where Heaney excels). Despite this, Heaney is truly one of the best contemporary poets, and I personally feel he has many great works still to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Heaney- master of his particular craft
Review: Seamus Heaney has never shied away from the fact that poetry is craft as much as art- a duality neatly exemplified by the title of his latest collection.For Heaney, poetry itself is the spirit level, the tool with which balance is found, whether that balance be between his hatred of the troubles dividing Ireland and his own ambivalence about his role in them, or between the pleasures of reminiscence and the uncomfortable responsibilities of adulthood that transform reminiscence into idyll. The sensuality of Heaney's poetry is unavoidable and joyous, from the auditory fantasy of "The Rain Stick" through the ludicrous picture painted in "Keeping Going" to the gentle admonition of "Postscript" to open ourselves to the wonderful in the everyday. His portraiture is always accurately scaled- the minimalist charcoal sketch of "Sandymount Strand" is as appropriate to its subject as the Norman Rockwell painting that is "A Sofa In The Forties". That Heaney is a master of both is no surprise- but it's always a pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Poetry which catches the heart
Review: Seamus Heaney's The Spirit Level is another meticulously
crafted collection of spirited poems by the winner of the
1995 Nobel Prize for Literature. Heaney never disappoints.
He brings to quite small poems, such as his lyrical reflection on mint, the same intense gaze which illuminates
his poems dealing with the more complex concerns of religious faith and history. His poetry, while deeply
embedded in the traditions of Irish writing, constantly
surprises the reader with its flashes of sheer contemporary
intelligence and language. The way Heaney effortlessly weds
these has created a formidable and distinct poetic voice.
For me, some of the most memorable poems in this collection
are from the sequence, "Mycenae Lookout", a re-telling of
the Trojan Wars. These display his easy shifts from a
contemporary imagination to one equally informed by history.
In his own words from the final poem of this collection, "Postcript", Heaney can "catch the heart off guard and
blow it open". A must for any serious poetry lover.
Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Masterpiece! - Platinum-Sheened Poems Ring!
Review: This book by Heaney is a masterpiece, and it is the work of a master. Each poem stands on its own, each one a creation, formed and sculpted with what seems to be infinite precision, and great passion and care. Yet, the poems form a cohesive and powerful book that is central in its overall thrust. A Spirit-Level is the carpenter's tool that contains a bubble in liquid, and is used to ensure that an object is level and balanced. And this book is about how we find or attempt to find balance between our personal lives, and the larger world in which we dwell. These poems ring and resonate upon (and within) the reader. "Mint" is one of my favorite poems in this book, and it is about how difficult it is to know which parts of ourselves, and which parts of the world, to value. It seems to suggest that we don't have a definitive answer to these concerns, and that therefore we should be cautious in deciding to disregard anything. It also seems to suggest that we should value everything in the world, on its own terms, and all of ourselves, in our own unique terms and ways. This is a poem alive with greenness, and with knowing. "A Sofa in The Forties" is another powerful piece, about how we, in the innoncence of childhood, discover that we are riding on currents and mechanisms (history, society, technology, language, etc.) that are absorbing us into the world, and that we are becoming more and more of the world, and in a way, less and less the children we were. Heaney has balanced this masterful book with a structure that enlivens, invigorates, and illuminates his central theme here, which is balance, indeed. This book is a radiant masterpiece, and I recommend it to everybody.
Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Masterpiece! - Platinum-Sheened Poems Ring!
Review: This book by Heaney is a masterpiece, and it is the work of a master. Each poem stands on its own, each one a creation, formed and sculpted with what seems to be infinite precision, and great passion and care. Yet, the poems form a cohesive and powerful book that is central in its overall thrust. A Spirit-Level is the carpenter's tool that contains a bubble in liquid, and is used to ensure that an object is level and balanced. And this book is about how we find or attempt to find balance between our personal lives, and the larger world in which we dwell. These poems ring and resonate upon (and within) the reader. "Mint" is one of my favorite poems in this book, and it is about how difficult it is to know which parts of ourselves, and which parts of the world, to value. It seems to suggest that we don't have a definitive answer to these concerns, and that therefore we should be cautious in deciding to disregard anything. It also seems to suggest that we should value everything in the world, on its own terms, and all of ourselves, in our own unique terms and ways. This is a poem alive with greenness, and with knowing. "A Sofa in The Forties" is another powerful piece, about how we, in the innoncence of childhood, discover that we are riding on currents and mechanisms (history, society, technology, language, etc.) that are absorbing us into the world, and that we are becoming more and more of the world, and in a way, less and less the children we were. Heaney has balanced this masterful book with a structure that enlivens, invigorates, and illuminates his central theme here, which is balance, indeed. This book is a radiant masterpiece, and I recommend it to everybody.
Rating: 
Summary: Callie's review for The Spirit Level
Review: Well, with the exception of a few quality lines like those in Cassandra, Whitby-sur-Moyola, and At Banagher, I'd have to say that the Spirit Level was (sad to say), for the most part, a waste of my time. But, instead of bashing it totally, I'll point out a few significant lines that I enjoyed and kept me from giving it one star.
From Cassandra:
"No such thing as innocent bystanding... no such thing as innocent."
From Whitby-sur-Moyola:
"...Unabsorbed in what he had to do/ But doing it perfectly, and watching you."
From At Banagher:
"Does he ever question what it all amounts to/ Or ever will? Or care where he lays his head?"
While I usually enjoy poetry, I had a VERY hard time getting into this book. It seems to me that a modern Irishman would have a few more quality poems, but maybe they are quality poems, but not being a modern Irishman, I can't understand them. But, I guess if he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, I'm probably the one who's mistaken. Perhaps I'm a little too surface to understand the intellectual depth of his poetry.
<< 1 >>
|
