The Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay (Renascence and Other Poems, a Few Figs from Thistles, Second April, and the Ballad of the Harp-Weaver) [Paperback]

The Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay is a sort of re-introduction to this very important writer for me. I have tended to read more poetry of the second half of the 20th century over the past few years, and really didn't remember much about Millay when I picked up the MLP printing of this, The Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay (Modern Library Classics) from someone else's library. In addition to some interesting poems and very nice sonnets, there is a short but effective introduction to Millay's life and work. So I decided I would get myself a copy after reading it.

Her life was certainly interesting indeed, based upon the brief introduction that was included. Her writing started at a very early age and helped to win her a scholarship to Vassar College. "Renascence And Other Poems," was published in 1917 though many of her writings, including the title poem, were known much earlier. Her very active writing career included many books of poetry throughout her 20s, 30s and beyond, but also works for the stage. She also wrote under the pseudonym of Nancy Boyd. She served as the first foreign correspondent for Vanity Fair, and was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

Her penchant for controversial topics seems to have limited some of the prominence of her later writings. Almost all the contents of this compilation are from her early publications. Yet she still confronts adventurous topics including death and more common emotional topics such as unrequited love. Renascence deals with death in a very abstract and yet direct way, with imagery that is at once beautiful and morbid.

This book also includes Few Figs from Thistles, Second April, And the Ballad of the Harp-weaver. Each of those works were released as individual books of poetry and include a variety of poems in various styles. "Renascence" and the "Ballad of the Harp-weaver" are the title works that seem to have the most notoriety. Comparatively speaking, they are each longer than many of her other poems. While "Renascence" has a more complex abstract structure with a more involved story, "Harp-Weaver" seems to be the simplified streamlined product of her writing experience leading up to it. One thing I found interesting was the mix of styles and concepts throughout her poems.

"First Fig" from "Few Figs" might be her most widely known poem, though only four lines long. It begins with the often quoted line, "My candle burns at both ends." The first four lines of "Harp Weaver" also contain within them a familiarity.

It's perhaps most interesting to me to read many of her sonnets, which I cannot be sure I have read before. I would imagine that many people might study sonnets such as these in some early English classes. At least to my fresh eyes, I found them to be very beautiful as well as thought provoking.

I feel like I have a lot yet to learn about Millay, but this book was definitely a good introduction for me as the vast majority of these poems were not ones I remember having read. I have heard of her biography, Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay which may be my next stop on learning more about Millay. Considering how interesting the short introduction was, I would imagine a deeper look at her life would only be more intriguing.

I recommend this book to anybody who is interested in a refresher or an introduction to Millay's poetry.

Enjoy.