Danger on Peaks

Rating:
Summary: Pure Transparancy of Blue
Review: Gary Snyder is America's greatest living poet.his keen, ever perfectly clear vison is based in the glint of rivers and the muted sheen of glistening rocks under jasmine colored waves, bountiful white clouds and spirit incandescent and meteoric.... He writes of concrete on highway 5, Toyota Tercels, and the animistic world of noble pines and bobcat scat..His Haikus are the best ever written...his narrative before certain poems is articulate, revealing and deep without any pretension...For instance: "If you want to view the world you live in climb a rocky mountain with a neat small peak. But the big snow peaks pierce the world of clouds and cranes, rest in the zone of five colored banners and writhing crackling dragons in veils of ragged mist and frost crystals, into a pure transparancy of blue." He knows the "Three Sisters". He has climbed into their deeper essence. He writes of today and of humanity, daily life, of comittment and courage and eating at fast food places...I have long admired his work and this is as good as Axe Handles and Regarding Wave...I have lived in the Pacific Northwest in my younger days..He almost alone, awakened me to its noble grandeaur....One of America's finest poets ever...


Rating:
Summary: Gary Snyder is Very Alive and Very Well
Review: If you've ever enjoyed ANY of Gary Snyder's poetry, then get Danger on Peaks. His first collection of new poems in 20 years, it's elegant and beautiful and meaningful and musical. I read a favorable review of this book in the NY Times, but wasn't prepared for how good it really was. I've been reading it in bed at night, just opening it here and there, and it's a delight. Language has been honed down to essentials-the poet's craft is being mastered here. The poems are tight and taut and finely-crafted-distilled to their essence. What really resonates with me are his experiences in the outdoors, many of the same things I feel but never articulate: trees, mountains, creeks, bobcats, sunsets- awe at the wonders of our planet. But that's just one level of the things going on in this book. It's also a summing-up of 60 years of Gary's life so far, so it's written in variety of styles. This is a wonderful little book. Published by Shoemaker Hoard.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic new work from a literary legend
Review: If you've never read Gary Snyder's poetry, this is a fabulous starting point; if you have, you'll be amazed at the depth and personal nature of many of these poems. Synder has deserved a bigger audience for such a long time, and this is the book that I hope will gain him wider acclaim. Highly recommended.