Reviews for Leaping Poetry: An Idea with Poems and Translations

The average rating for Leaping Poetry: An Idea with Poems and Translations based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-05-01 00:00:00 Mindy Olney "In ancient times, in the 'time of inspiration,' the poet flew from one world to another, 'riding on dragons'. . . . They dragged behind them long tails of dragonsmoke. . . . This dragonsmoke means that a leap has taken place in the poem. In many ancient works of art we notice a long floating leap at the center of a work. That leap can be described as a leap from the conscious to the unconscious and back again, a leap from the known part of the mind to the unknown part and back to the known." So begins Robert Bly's short (all the better reason to re-read it often!) but endlessly fascinating aesthetic manifesto for surreal poetry. Here Bly both lays out his wonderful idea about "leaping" poetry and pays homage to the modern masters of this method, largely Spanish and Latin American poets such as Neruda, Lorca and Vallejo. Other concepts crucial to Bly's leaping-poetry idea are those of Wild Association and the hierarchy of "three brains" involved in a complex relationship within the human mind. This book is likely to transform not only your view of poetry, but of any art.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-07-29 00:00:00 Tyler Brockman Robert Bly, before, after, but not during his Iron John phase has been one of my favorite poets. First contact was with The Tooth Mother Naked at Last, a great poem out of the Vietnam War period. A harrowing poem. His own writing has gotten simpler with time, and he should have much more recognition than he does. I see there's a film coming out - that will help a little. Equally adept as a translator, his work with Nobel Laureate Tomas Transtromer is sublime. A copy of Friends, You Drank Some Darkness should be on everyone's shelf. Leaping Poetry is a study in writing metaphor. The current crop of American poets seem to have left metaphor behind - they should take a refresher. This would be an excellent place to start.