Blue Pyramids: New and Selected Poems

The book spans 30 years and goes backward chronologically from to She simply became a better poet after this time frame. Dec 02, Lauren Adams rated it it was amazing Shelves: Mary Oliver is the greatest of them all. I bookmarked about 25 poems in this collection that I plan to read frequently and already have.

She writes mainly about nature, starting with the smallest details described in the most artistic way, panning out its and our purpose in this world. If you've ever wanted to get into poetry but roll your eyes Mary Oliver is the greatest of them all. If you've ever wanted to get into poetry but roll your eyes at rhyme or forced abstract descriptions, I love Oliver's effortless approachability. Jul 27, mike rated it really liked it. View all 3 comments. An accessible, beautiful, meaningful collection of poetry that everyone should read.

Oliver has a marvelous way of writing about the natural world and situating herself and us within it, asking the big questions of existence. This is a collection that I will be reading for the rest of my life. Jan 08, Kirby rated it it was amazing. I really loved getting to know Mary Oliver better through this collection. I've never been particularly affected by nature poetry, but the way that she ruminates on the connections between humans and the natural universe is incredibly moving.

I also like the way this volume was organized, with her most recent poems first then going back in reverse chronological order-- her newer work definitely has a more serene air of wisdom, peace, and stability than her earliest work, where you can see her tr I really loved getting to know Mary Oliver better through this collection. I also like the way this volume was organized, with her most recent poems first then going back in reverse chronological order-- her newer work definitely has a more serene air of wisdom, peace, and stability than her earliest work, where you can see her trying to define her voice, trying out a variety of poetic forms and rhyme schemes.

There were gems in each section, but in general, I liked the poems from Dream Work the most, which I felt dealt most explicitly with those spiritual, meaning-of-life concepts that I love so much.

I feel grateful that Mary Oliver has written approximately one million poems, so there is still tons of her work left for me to explore. Sep 04, Erika rated it really liked it. Few of these were compiled into this collection of poems from ; perhaps that is why, though I enjoyed it, I am, on the whole, lukewarm about it. Though Oliver likes to ponder things like the soul, the spirit, higher power, prayer--things from which I tend to shy away--she does so wit The first thing I read from Oliver was her collection "Why I Wake Early," which definitely reverberated in me.

Though Oliver likes to ponder things like the soul, the spirit, higher power, prayer--things from which I tend to shy away--she does so with a typically unoffending, child-like innocence that, coupled with her heavy focus on natural phenomena or minutia of her surrounding world, is non-presumptuous and not worth contesting with full force.

And the degree to which she is capable of observing the natural world in a manner suggesting she knows she is still a part of it--or knows she wants to be--something difficult to admit given the concrete jungles in which most of us tend to live--is nothing short of breath-taking and beautiful. I want my writing to mirror hers, though of course, being a different person with a different vision and different spiritual beliefs, this would be impossible.

Some of my favorite poems collected here, which I highly recommend are: I guess I would sum up Oliver's writing as only as 'religious' as a poem of hers suggests: I would say that the search for a higher power is close to --gasp! But that doesn't mean life, nature, our observations of it and how they are reflected in creation both living and artificial, concocted , are in anyway meaningless. And I think if Oliver were here right now to have a discussion about it with me, we'd see eye to eye on something as simple as 'a flower is a prayer' --and the realest, truest kind.

Ten gold stars and a Pulitzer in addition to the one s? Jun 27, Lexi rated it it was amazing. Oct 28, Arta rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was absolutely fantastic! I can't choose a favourite, really because I enjoyed every poem. There are so many quotable and beautiful parts.

Most of them are influenced by nature which I personally really liked and thought was very fascinating. They made me feel happy and sad at the same time. But most importantly, they made me think and reflect. This was also the first time I've read poetry. I've never been into poetry - or at least I thought I wasn't - but apparently I was wrong. I'm glad I This was absolutely fantastic! I'm glad I got out of my comfort zone and managed to read a bunch of poems and will most definitely continue reading poetry.

Aug 25, Natalie rated it it was amazing. I've been on a poetry kick lately. I would have told you 3 years ago that I don't get poetry, any poetry. But lately, I can't get enough. There are a few lines in some of these poems that knocked me out. Every year everything I have ever learned in my lifetime leads back to this: Oct 24, Lauren rated it it was amazing. Emily Dickenson said it best.

If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only way I know it. Is there any other way" Mary Olivers' poetry continuously gives me chills and reminds me how amazing it is to be alive in this world. Could a writer ask for any better success than that?

I think her poetry is simple and approachable enough to convinc Emily Dickenson said it best. I think her poetry is simple and approachable enough to convince anyone who thinks of poetry as an outdated and aloof form of writing to think otherwise. However, the simplicity of these poems by no means takes away from the deep resounding messages they hold. I read and re-read this collections constantly and only grow to love it more. Sep 07, Kim rated it it was amazing. Mary Oliver's work has helped me endure many long nights of the soul.

Like so many people, I was introduced to her poems by way of 'Wild Geese,' which would be a cliche except it's so damn beautiful you forget, re-reading it, that it pops up all over these days. Read 'In Blackwater Woods' or 'Dogfish,' out loud. Even if you don't like poetry. Her later work takes up some new subjects, most significantly, her long relationship with her partner Molly, Molly's death, and after. But while Mary Oliver's work has helped me endure many long nights of the soul.

But while she's never hidden her love for a woman, this is not that oft-mocked beast, 'lesbian poetry. Jan 04, rosamund rated it it was amazing Shelves: I know this is a book I will return to again and again. Like Oliver's other collections, I'm never going to stop wanting to read it or finding something new in it. I'm constantly amazed by how her clear, precise language contains such depth of feeling.

Oliver's primary concern is her own mortality, and she constantly finds new ways to think about it. Her poetry doesn't patronise, but it remains hopeful. I want to turn to it every time I struggle with expressing myself, because I would love to be I know this is a book I will return to again and again. I want to turn to it every time I struggle with expressing myself, because I would love to be even half as direct as Oliver. Oct 07, Sellyndavies rated it it was amazing. Mary Oliver's Pulitzer-Prize winning poetry captures the remote sense of mystery and appreciation of the natural world characteristic of the Unitarian Universalist perspective.

She is the rare poet who can use nature imagery to capture the raw pain and beauty of engaging fully in the moment - the perfection of the world, the fragility of life. Jan 27, Deb rated it it was amazing.

Related Articles

I used to read poetry a lot but over the years I stopped not really knowing why. Over the past few months I picked it up again.

• Three Brides for Three Brothers.
• Robinson Crusoes Economic Man: A Construction and Deconstruction (Routledge Frontiers of Political Economy).
• .
• Time to Quit Your Band? (MusicMarketing.com Presents).
• The Dominion of the World: The Transatlantic Threat (French Science Fiction Book 74).
• Take Care Of My Heart;
• The Black Sheeps Redemption (Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense) (Fitzgerald Bay, Book 5);

I kept hearing about Mary Oliver and started to read this collection, a few poems a day. Her description of nature of the environment is so beautiful. I slept as never before Gorgeous in so many ways, her writing takes my breath away in places. In other places, I wish she would venture out of the natural world a little to the places I inhabit. While I truly appreciate why she is loved by so many, her subject matter doesn't grab me most of the time.

Dec 29, cindy is currently reading it. I enjoy the evolution of her writing, the steps toward the sparse beauty, and the almost total exclusion of people.. I love her work. What astounds me is how much she says about us, without invoking us at all. We are just animals, after all Jun 02, Crystal rated it it was amazing Shelves: I finished this book of poetry over the Christmas holidays.

I want her poetry read at my funeral. There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information. But Mary Oliver, who won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in , is my choice for her joyous, accessible, intimate observations of the na Librarian Note: But Mary Oliver, who won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in , is my choice for her joyous, accessible, intimate observations of the natural world.

Her Wild Geese has become so popular it now graces posters in dorm rooms across the land. But don't hold that against her. Although few poets have fewer human beings in their poems than Mary Oliver, it is ironic that few poets also go so far to help us forward. She is among our finest poets, and still growing. Add to Cart Add to Cart. Also by Mary Oliver. About Mary Oliver A private person by nature, Mary Oliver has given very few interviews over the years.

Inspired by Your Browsing History. Looking for More Great Reads? Download our Spring Fiction Sampler Now. New and Selected Poems, Volume One. LitFlash The eBooks you want at the lowest prices. Read it Forward Read it first.

1. See a Problem??
2. .
3. Rubbernecking?
4. Terras de Corza - A Coroa de Sangue (Portuguese Edition)!
5. The Highway One Travel Companion - 4: Port Macquarie to QLD Border.
6. The Ancient Mode Of Baptizing, BY IMMERSION, PLUNGING, OR DIPPING INTO WATER; Maintained And Vindicated.
7. Les Grands Ducs de Bourgogne (French Edition)?

Stay in Touch Sign up. We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later.