Sadness and Happiness: Poems by Robert Pinsky Book

The first time I read anything by Robert Pinksy I was a senior in college in a medieval literature class that focused exclusively on Dante. Pinsky's translation of Dante's "Inferno" was the recommended translation, and it was an absolute joy to read. I had read multiple translations of Dante's most famous poem, and yet Pinsky's was by far the best of them all: the most colorful, the most evocative. In short, wonderful.

Ever since my study of his translation, I've sought out other poems by Robert Pinsky, so reading "Sadness and Happiness" was a given.

While Pinsky shines in whatever he does, this collection, unfortunately, was not my favorite of his work. There are pockets of genius, particularly in his descriptions of small suburban settings, and the cold, frigid scenes of their lives. His longest poem, "Essays on Psychology" is a most inventive way of postulating the nature of modern counseling, but it would have fared better--in my opinion--as a straight forward exposition.

The overall collection doesn't seem quite unified or even, with some poems bursting with beauty, while others are too clinical. Still, this is Robert Pinsky we're talking about, so for all his fans, this is worth reading.