POEMS 1962-2012 by Louise Glück

Like what I do? Feel free to buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/leaf...
Paperback, 634 pages
Published 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374534098
/ poems-1962-2012
Also mentioned:
On Louise Gluck: Change What You See
edited by Joanne Diehl
Paperback, 200 pages
Published 2005 by University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0472030620
/ 783261.on_louise_gluck
#leafbyleaf #bookreview #louisegluck #poetry #nobelprize

[@ReadingintheDriftless]

Chris, I am so thrilled that you read Louise’s poetry and were moved. As you know, she is my beloved poet, one whose voice has accompanied me for nearly 25 years now, half my life. I cannot imagine my own voice in poetry not being born of hers, like a beloved mother who quietly nurtured her adoring son. Watching this video, hearing your love for her poetry and how it impacted you, inspires me to not quit writing. If I did, I would betray the love of my beloved mother-poet. (And my father-poet Rilke!)

[@LeafbyLeaf]

As the Orphic offspring of Glück and Rilke, you cannot go against your vocation! And what a compliment to hear that my video inspired you to keep writing! I’m thinking Rilke needs a presence on this channel soon. All my very best to you!

[@ReadingintheDriftless]

@@LeafbyLeaf it’s an honor to be a part of this corner of our world.

[@rjd53]

I was very happy about her receiving the Nobel, I had her poems already twice, each volume seperately plus this Collected up to 2012. I also appreciate three more things about her: 1. her essays, in them she shows her sharp intellect that even comes close to the level of Friedrich Schiller's writings 2. that she did so much for other young poets editing that series of poetry volumes and writing the prefaces - some of those poets I discovered that way have also become favourites of mine - 3. that for me, although deep in thought, her poems are not difficult to understand although English is not my native language, I don't need translations reading her. Yet, they are not simple, you can read them again and again, you never get tired of them, each time you read them they are exciting again. I think in her poems as well it is her precision of intellect that proves that even metaphoric language can express profound insights very clearly. That way she is also a master of strong pointed endings of poems.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Great, valuable input--thank you!

[@joseramirez-hh2sw]

Honestly your channel is helping me so much in getting back into reading. Stopped reading period some years ago due to just being burned out and could never really pick it up again. It wasn't till finding your channel and watching someone else find so much life and breath in reading that I was motivated enough to rekindle the own reading fire inside my gut, which now has started burning through every book it consumes anew. Thanks dude I love watching your videos, they bring so much to me.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I sincerely appreciate your kind words, Jose. It means the world to me to know that these videos are making a positive impact on people’s lives. All my very, very best to you!

[@lionelbelanger6242]

GREAT POETRY IS ALWAYS CATHARTIC.

[@rodrigovrhernandezvr7168]

Great video. Glad to see you are including more poetry in the channel.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! 🙏

[@andrewmatthews5477]

I picked this collection up yesterday and read just a couple poems at random. This is going to be awesome I can tell already. Thanks for the rec, Chris! Also, thanks for the tip on Mircea Cartarescu. I picked up "Solenoid" this weekend as well. I can't remember if I already recommended Rae Armantrout's poetry to you yet. If not, I recommend Rae Armantrout's poetry. Cheers!

[@asdfg6h5g7h]

Love your amazing library and especially the view from the window! Absolutely perfect!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

😁😁😁🙏🙏🙏

[@AmandaJHMorton]

I read Ararat a few months ago and thought it was really great. I didn't quite love it. I think it was because the collection was so raw and the emotional conflict overwhelming from me. But I did really appreciate her skill. I would love to read more of her stuff. A poet I've really been loving is Les Murray. He died a couple years ago, and he was an Aussie. I think you would like his work. It's high quality.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Hey--thanks for the recommendation! I'm trying to expand my knowledge of Aussie writers beyond Patrick White, Markus Zuzak, Trent Dalton, and Jen Craig.

[@augustmcwake]

I read A Village Life after she won the Nobel and was gripped all the way through. Glad you also enjoyed her! Great video, as always!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Right on! Thanks, man!

[@MaximTendu]

Got her essay on poetry called American Originality but haven't read it yet. Well, it's high time to increase my poetry intake with the works of someone still alive, so thanks for recommending Louise Glück.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I haven't read any of her essays (aside from her Nobel acceptance speech). Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@valpergalit]

I see that volume at bookstores all the time. Sounds like it’s finally time for me to pick it up. Some of the excerpts you read reminded me of Sharon Olds, who is another incredible female poet you should check out, if you haven’t encountered her yet.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I have not encountered her. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@algreene2254]

Thanks so much for this. Really resonates. I will lob a quick 3 at ya. The big red Penguin volume of Borges' poetry, Kenneth Patchen in his various forms and Robinson Jeffers. All beautiful worlds. Cheers

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I've long had/read on Borges's poetry (and short stories and non-fiction--thanks, Penguin!)--it was on my bedside table when I did this video. But the other two I have not read, so thank you very much for the recommendations!

[@austenholritz7554]

So so so happy to see Louise get the love she deserves. Picked up this collection on a whim and it has made me feel many things I haven’t felt before.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Agreed!

[@liquidpebbles7475]

Yess, excellent review, Gluck has been on my radar since... well we all know since when, this is a good endorsement, thx for the content. Hope to see more contemporary poetry here ✌✌

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! I’m excited about spouting more worthy poetry on this channel! Nice to hear from you, as always!

[@lionelbelanger6242]

Glad to see the poetry review. THANKS

[@LeafbyLeaf]

My pleasure! 😁

[@lionelbelanger6242]

@@LeafbyLeaf I was fortunate to attend seminars by Richard Bly while I was in university after retiring from the army. I also had one-on-one classes with Jim Wayne Miller who did the translations of Emil Lerperger, the "poet warrior" OF Austria.. Lerperger took to the hills after the Anchluss of Austria. I was also offered a scholarship at a 2 year "poetry university in the tenderloin area of San Francisco.

[@kaymurphy9743]

I will also add welcome to the Louise Gluck fan club. You pointed out a lot of wonderful lines of hers.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much! Great to be here! (And I know to pronounce it as glick now.)

[@dcdc139]

I'm not a reader of poetry, but I wanted to thank you for providing a small corner of the Internet that has been my getaway from the vitriol of the Internet. As the theme of Bookworm asks, Where would we be without books?

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Music to my ears! Gotta love that Bookworm theme!

[@dcdc139]

@@LeafbyLeaf The cover of her collection of poems really blows my mind. A number of years ago, I was in a small town way up north in the Yukon and the only thing that I could find to do on an otherwise quiet friday night was to accompany a group of amateur astronomers and star gazers on their monthly outing. These guys were very well equipped in terms of telescopes and so on, and at one point, I was invited to look into one of the telescopes and what I saw was that same image of Saturn and its rings. It was so exhilarating, perhaps one of the most 'poetic' moments of my own life.

[@Gabrielcezar94]

Great video! She became one of my favourite poets of all time. Just a quick correction, if you allow me: it’s pronounced “Glick”, rhyming with “click” 😉

[@LeafbyLeaf]

That’s a strange pronunciation! But thank you for the correction! 🙏

[@octamedicin]

Well actually, it’s more like ”Glyck”, where the ”y” sounds as it does in ”mystery”. (Assuming the name is the German word)

[@douloureux.]

That’s incorrect, his pronounciation is closer to German than the one you’re describing here

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’d never heard it pronounced aloud, so, yeah, I just assumed German. I’ve since been corrected with several variations! Lol Michael Silverblatt says it’s pronounced to rhyme with cluck.

[@Gabrielcezar94]

Anyway, if you want to hear it pronounced, take a looked at the announcement video for the 2020 Nobel in Literature where Mats Malm and Anders Olsson (both members of the Swedish Academy, the institution that decides each year's laureates) say her name. In some news publications they also stress this approximation to her name rhyming with “click”; it may not be a precise example but a close one.

[@mikemauro3119]

Congrats on your KENYON REVIEW acceptance! So rad! / And thanks for this recommend--I think I have it.... Will read it now asap.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much! 🙏

[@rickharsch8797]

Excellent...versatility...

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks, Rick!

[@captainaomaruvomexekutivko4919]

Another awesome video on this channel. You're doing great work with these

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Much appreciated! 🙏

[@timkjazz]

As always, a fine, fine review. It's nice to see and hear a review of poetry, I hope this becomes an ongoing endeavor, would love to hear your take on Denis Johnson, Charles Simic, etc.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! Johnson (prose and poetry) is very near the top of the short-list TBR. Simic will be new to me!

[@Read2live]

Unfortunately, I found out that I don't like Louise Gluck. A long time ago, I had read The Red Poppy and maybe another poem of hers, and because I liked The Red Poppy, I thought I'd like her poetry. I chose her collection The Wild Iris to read for a class and I was very disappointed. I found the poems unimaginative/cliche and lifeless, but that's me. I know most people like her poems, but we all have different tastes. Also, Emily Dickinson is my favorite poet and I couldn't find them more different. Still, it is interesting to see the vastly different opinions we all have : )

[@marinellamaccagni6951]

I' ve lost track of you because of KZbin but now I' ve found you again! And I' ve discovered that you had a very interesting conversation with cliff sargent(better than food Is an Amazing Channel such as yours).

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Great to hear from you again! Glad you found your way back. By the way, I just got the complete Primo Levi.

[@marinellamaccagni6951]

@@LeafbyLeaf , fantastic! Which books have you read? I don' t like reading his books too much. But he wrote a book of poetry that nobody knows(italian people in primis) and that is amazing. I don' t know of there Is an english translation of It.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I got this set: www.amazon.com/Complete-Works-Primo-Levi/dp/0871404567/

[@jamesgwarrior1981]

Not the biggest poetry fan but think her stuff is really great 👍🏾

[@LeafbyLeaf]

👊 right on!

[@ADGO]

Unfortunately I have a less positive impression of this collection. I read this around 2013/14 just after it was released so memories are somewhat distant now. One book of poems aside, it felt very academic - the choice of adjectives, the language in general really. It didn't lift off the page into an emotive experience, not for me. I couldn't see what she was describing, but more importantly the emotional impact was muted, and I didn't feel that rise into a more intense experience that you go through with the most meaningful poetry. Given the recognition she's received I'm sure I'm in a minority here. That's my impression of this large collection though.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Despite the recognition, and whether or not you're in a minority, your impressions are no less valid and I appreciate the contrast of reception.

[@piercebales9546]

The fight against pretense is never ending...

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Aye.

[@marcelhidalgo1076]

Great hook

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks!

[@lionelbelanger6242]

If a haiku is, by definition Japanese, the this rhyme lacks the necessary turns and connections to qualify. There should be certain words connecting the lines which indicate a refocus.

[@gediminaskontrimas7992]

Thanks.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

You’re welcome.

[@nolandost3070]

Heyyo, just a friendly heads up that there's a typo in the description's first line. Love the video ^^

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Corrected. Thanks so much!

[@louisegluck3356]

Hello, I am Afrah, a master's student at the University of Baghdad. My thesis is about the trauma of death in Louise Gluck's selected poems "Ararat" and "The Wild Iris", but unfortunately my thesis was rejected because my explanation was poor. Please can you help me with my thesis so that it will be better Thank you

[@BooksYouHaventRead]

Chris, I'm interested to know how you typically approach reading poetry. Do you give a new poem a certain amount of reads before you move on to the next? Do you come back to certain ones after you've read through all of them? I've found poetry necessitates rereads more than other forms so interested in your experience.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

For any given poem: (1) read it through silently; (2) read it through out loud; (3) make a note if it jolted me in the way poetry can do; (4) put it aside for a few days; (5) come back to it and read it out loud again. The poems that have stayed with me through the years I read again and again. I completely agree with your position.

[@BooksYouHaventRead]

@@LeafbyLeaf Great advice. Thanks!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Any time! John Hollander and Harold Bloom (indirectly) taught me the importance of reading poems out loud.

[@Shelf_Improvement]

I'd never drawn any parallels between Glück and Dickinson-- interesting

[@LeafbyLeaf]

It didn't come to me either on my first reading.

[@owenivor]

Could it be an electric socket and not an eye socket??

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Hmmmmm. I think I'll have to rewatch my video to get the context for this comment. :)

[@owenivor]

@@LeafbyLeaf maybe that's a poetry is all about just open to interpretation

[@xgryphenx]

Really would urge you to read more contemporary poetry. Some of the best poetry of all time is from the last ~100 years.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! I’m open to suggestions. I’m reading Ammons and Celan at the moment.

[@xgryphenx]

@@LeafbyLeaf Celan is one of the greatest of greats. I think about lines of his almost every single day. Unfortunately I think his best translation is the Michael Hamburger "Poems of Paul Celan" that Persea put out in the 70s, which is only partial. The complete works Joris did in two volumes is a little too clinical, and (strangely given Joris' own poetic bent) lacks the haunting musicality of Hamburger. Two favorites, vastly different: Vladimir Mayakovsky's Selected Poems (trans. by James McGavran from Northwestern University Press) and Audre Lorde's Undersong. You would be well served by both, and ASAP at that.

[@bluebamboomusic6882]

Sorry that this is completely off the topic of the video, but as you've mentioned that you're a huge fan of Christopher Nolan in the past, I was wondering what you thought of Tenet? Also, thanks for yet another fascinating video.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

When I watched Tenet earlier this year, I had one thought: I am so thankful I was alive for this.

[@bluebamboomusic6882]

@@LeafbyLeaf I couldn't agree more. It was a truly great cinematic experience. Would you consider making videos on film, or even music?

[@kaymurphy9743]

I worked with Louise at Goddard. Please her last name is pronounced Glick.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

My sincere apologies. I wish I could go back and redo this video. One of the problems with primarily being a reader is that I rarely hear names pronounced. In future videos where her surname comes up, I will bear the proper pronunciation.

[@mudgetheexpendable]

"Ophelia" by John Everett Millais: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(painting) Not a big poetry reader, but your appreciation makes it feel alive & vigorous & real even to me.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

That’s it-bingo! Great to hear! 🙏

[@CadaverAndMuse]

Fuck yeah, dude. Literal chills on 'foam through bracelets of seabirds'.

[@Bookspine5]

Happy Winter Solstice book readers and book lovers !!! :)

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Winter Solstice?

[@Bookspine5]

@@LeafbyLeaf Winter Solstice or in the beginning of winter of the solar cycle :D

[@LeafbyLeaf]

But isn’t that December 21st?

[@Bookspine5]

Whoops ! Lol , I'm sorry. Honest mistake. You are right. I meant Fall Equinox (September 22nd).

[@LeafbyLeaf]

😜😜

[@tsvetelinmonchev624]

I am asking this every strong reader I know of: How many pages do you read per hour? (How many does Micheal Silverblat read?) and I know it’s more complicated than just giving a number, but lets say it’s a not too difficult prose, engaging and fluent.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

My average in 20pp/hour (15pp/hour if it's philosophy or Gravity's Rainbow/Infinite Jest/et al.). I will ask Michael what his is. Harold Bloom's was something like 500pp/hour. As colleague of his at Yale said that watching Bloom read was scary. Another colleague said that Bloom read "through" the book with x-ray vision: "He could tell you that a character had a broken bone but not the color of the character's pants. :)

[@tsvetelinmonchev624]

@@LeafbyLeaf Wow… Harold Bloom - remarkable!! This is so fascinating; I ask because of course I - like most humans - read slowly, my average being more or less like yours, maybe a couple of pages less per hour. But boy 500 pages an hour??? I hardly believe it you know (not that I don’t believe it to be true: I do, because I have heard of other people that devour 200 pages in a couple of hours) it’s just so remarkable and I have never seen someone read at that speed and with all the “speed reading” tutorials, seems almost fictions that someone can ACTUALLY read at that speed - what do you think it is, just their brain can process this large amount of data so quickly? Or what else, I have no idea. As well: have you yourself tried to bump up your reading speed? Tell us maybe about your experience, if you have ever tried… I know I have tried but failed miserably every time. I envy so much even people that read 50/60 pages an hour… so just to think about even 100, oh boy, head starts to hurt… Immagine just the sheer amounts of books you could read in a weekend or something. Thanks for the reply Chris, all the best man!!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

To be honest, I’m a big advocate of slow, close, attentive reading. Speed-reading, to me, is a symptom and exacerbation of our fast-paced culture of immediacy. (Of course I know that’s an extreme view that doesn’t consider nuances.) In general, I consider slower, more attentive reading better than quicker reading. There is so much focus on comprehension in speed-reading that it reduces books to the main idea and major supporting evidence. There is so much more in a book-a good book-than just a thesis. Each sentence is a gift that wants to be slowly unwrapped, each layer appreciated. In short: quality over quantity.

[@Shallowworld9236]

Telescope

[@TheStaniz]

With all due respect....her name is pronounced "Glick." Rhymes with "click" Great job. -Johnnie Stanizzi

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I've since found this out, yes. I should've taken the time to seek out some videos where she says her name. Sigh. I saw that umlaut and felt it was a safe assumption.

[@TheStaniz]

@@LeafbyLeaf not a big deal, for sure. So glad you featured Louise. There is only one Ms. Gluck. I love her so much.

[@WickedHole]

She died.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I know. Quite a loss. 😞

[@GypsyRoSesx]

Leaf by Leaf Enterprises 🤣

[@LeafbyLeaf]

😁😁😁

[@Telly234]

Great review. I’ve read some contemporary poets and sadly didn't like any of them. Glück sounds interesting. I’ll add her to my list! The last piece of poetry I read was by Robert Desnos. Here’s a short animated film about one of his best poems: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ_We2eGgaqlZs0

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much for this! Beautiful video!

[@marieseidenfein5822]

Oh what hogwash. And yes, you CAN describe "Emily Dickinson's short lines which are so hard to describe" - they are actually hymnal stanzas. One of the worst reviews I've seen for a long time.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Ouch. Not quite what I mean by saying they are hard to describe--I rather meant that they are so sublime, they defy definition. Not that it matters: I'm clearly beyond redemption. So, I apologize for wasting your time. Thanks for the criticism.