in a one step span
reflected flowers come
in and out of view.
Ephemeral View [Haiku]
2
Tag Archives: poetry
Summer Gust [Haiku]
Caterpillars [Haiku]
Burble [Haiku]
BOOK: “The Lifetime Reading Plan” by Clifton Fadiman
The Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton FadimanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Google Books Page
By the standard of most people (even most readers,) my reading life is insane, both in terms of the volume that I read and the variety of kinds of writing I consume. But – still – whenever someone comes out with one of these “100 must-read books” lists, there’re always many titles that I haven’t read. This has led me to reflect on what constitutes “essential reading,” (if such a thing exists) and what more systematic readers would consider the crucial texts to read to be a well-read person. And that lead me to this book, which is one man’s attempt to assemble such a syllabus of readings.
Fadiman arranges his 103 recommendations into seven sections: 1.) The Beginning (writings from the ancient world;) 2.) The Middle Ages; 3.) Plays; 4.) Narratives; 5.) Philosophy, Psychology, Politics, and Essays; 6.) Poetry; and 7.) History, Biography, and Autobiography. He also provides an annex of six recommendations to give a rudimentary overview of subjects not addressed in the listed works (e.g. art, mathematics, science, World History, American History, and how to read a book.) Note: When I refer to Fadiman’s ‘103 recommendations,” I’m not talking about 103 books. In many cases, Fadiman recommends one read all (or at least multiple instances of) a given author’s writings. I wouldn’t want to give the impression that one could knock out the whole syllabus in 111 books (inclusive of the annex recommendations;) it is a “lifetime” reading plan – after all.
The first edition of this book came out in 1960 and the third (and – as far as I know – final) edition came out in 1988. Fadiman’s selection is far less diverse than one might expect of such a book today. The author freely admits the book is Western-centric, but that’s not the whole story. While Fadiman’s selection is completely Western, it’s also highly Anglo-American (Anglo / American, if you prefer) with a few French, German, Russian, and Latin American authors scattered into the mix. Furthermore, the feminine voice is all but absent with only four females among the recommendations (including George Eliot who famously took a man’s name to be able to publish the work she probably couldn’t have as Mary Ann Evans [her birth name.])
One the one hand, this book did offer insights into many authors and books, including giving a few recommendations I’d never even heard of before. On the other hand, I wouldn’t call it a recipe for being a well-rounded intellect. It’s far too siloed for that purpose. That said, if you’re looking some readings to round out the Western portion of your reading list, I’d recommend you give this book a look. However, as a “lifetime reading plan,” I think it would leave the reader with some pretty broad blind spots.
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Desert [Haiku]
hard, compact earth
where nothing grows;
bird hops, then flies off.
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Season Bridge [Haiku]
yellow daisies grow
from crack & fissure;
bridging Summer & Fall.
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Shadow-dappled [Haiku]
shadow-dappled
forest floor stretches to a
confusion of trees.
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Stone Bridge [Haiku]
in the forest,
an old stone bridge;
the sole work of man.
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BOOK REVIEW: “Scattered Poems” by Jack Kerouac
Scattered Poems by Jack KerouacMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Open Road Media
Kerouac is best known as a novelist, particularly as the author of the groundbreaking Beat work, On the Road, but he did publish one poetry collection during his lifetime, Mexico City Blues. This book, Scattered Poems, was the first of a glut of posthumously released poetry collections. With posthumously released editions, one usually has to wonder how close the book is to the poet’s ideal, given the author’s lack of input into the final product but — given Kerouac’s penchant for spontaneous composition and airing pieces as they fell from the mind — it’s probable these poems wouldn’t have been highly edited. (Note: A number of the pieces were previously published, but many were obtained from private correspondence — notably letters to Allen Ginsberg.)
The poems are mostly free verse, and the rhyming verse (e.g. “Pull My Daisy”) is usually short line or doggerel lines falling into longer poems. The poems deal in both Kerouac’s birth religion, Christianity, and Buddhism, a philosophy which had a major influence on his thinking throughout his adult life. Some have a Zen quality that makes it hard to determine whether they are nonsense or a conduit from satori (or both.) To enjoy these poems, one must have a love of spontaneity. Readers expecting a polished collection may be displeased but will certainly have missed Kerouac’s philosophy of writing which strove to emulate the improvisation of Jazz.
I enjoyed this collection, and I think the publisher did a good job of showing the arrangement of the poems as written. I’d highly recommend this work for poetry readers who enjoy stream of consciousness experimental poetry or anyone interested in the work of the Beats.
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Tiger Riding for Beginners 