Homage to the Lame Wolf by Vasko Popa
I finally finished this book! I read a lot of it right before Poetry Month, and then I was so busy I didn't get to read anything in April. I finished reading it right away after I was done writing my last poem of the month.
Everyone from bloggers, to the person who works at the bookstore seems to love Vasko Popa. I can understand why--now I love him too! At first, when I started reading Homage to the Lame Wolf, I thought everyone was wrong, and Popa was getting too much credit. The first few poems weren't that great, but the weird thing about Popa is the poems seem to be great as a whole, the more poems you read, the more they build on each other. Popa writes all his poems in a series. There are usually around 7 poems in each series, and they are all very closely linked. Sometimes they are parts to a poem, sometimes they are individual poems.
Some of the series I like better than others, but I thought the book was very enjoyable, and even though this book was twice as long as an average poetry book, I wished there was more to read at the end.
I can't think of anyone who writes like Popa. Between the strange subjects, his style of writing, and his habit of writing in a series, Popa is unique.
The titles aren't great, but I overlook that because I like it so much.
My favorites in the book: (I am thrilled that when the poems are published online, the whole series is included. I think that is the only way these poems should be read.)
The Little Box series
Give Me Back My Rags
St. Sava's Spring
Raw Flesh
Everyone from bloggers, to the person who works at the bookstore seems to love Vasko Popa. I can understand why--now I love him too! At first, when I started reading Homage to the Lame Wolf, I thought everyone was wrong, and Popa was getting too much credit. The first few poems weren't that great, but the weird thing about Popa is the poems seem to be great as a whole, the more poems you read, the more they build on each other. Popa writes all his poems in a series. There are usually around 7 poems in each series, and they are all very closely linked. Sometimes they are parts to a poem, sometimes they are individual poems.
Some of the series I like better than others, but I thought the book was very enjoyable, and even though this book was twice as long as an average poetry book, I wished there was more to read at the end.
I can't think of anyone who writes like Popa. Between the strange subjects, his style of writing, and his habit of writing in a series, Popa is unique.
The titles aren't great, but I overlook that because I like it so much.
My favorites in the book: (I am thrilled that when the poems are published online, the whole series is included. I think that is the only way these poems should be read.)
The Little Box series
Give Me Back My Rags
St. Sava's Spring
Raw Flesh