- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Anchor Books; Reprint edition (Mar 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385484100
- ISBN-13: 978-0385484107
- Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 2.9 x 23.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,096,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
"Poets live the lives all of us live," says Bill Moyers, "with one big difference. They have the power--the power of the word--to create a world of thoughts and emotions other can share. We only have to learn to listen."
In a series of fascinating conversations with thirty-four American poets, The Language Of Life celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form," and its unique power to re-create the human experience: falling in love, facing death, leaving home, playing basketball, losing faith, finding God. Listening to Linda McCarriston's award-winning poems about a child trapped in a violent home, or to Jimmy Santiago Baca explaining how words changed his life in prison, or to David Mura describing his Japanese American grandfather's experience in relocation camps, or to Sekou Sundiata stitching the magic of his childhood church in Harlem to the African tradition of storytelling, or to Gary Snyder invoking the natural wonder of mountains and rivers, or to Adrienne Rich calling for honesty in human relations, all testify to the necessity and clarity of the poet's voice, and all give hope that from such a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and religious threads we might yet weave a new American fabric.
"'Listen,' said the storytellers of old, 'listen and you shall hear,'" explains Bill Moyers. The Language Of Life is a joyous, life-affirming invitation to listen, learn, and experience the exhilarating power of the spoken word.
In a series of fascinating conversations with thirty-four American poets, The Language Of Life celebrates language in its "most exalted, wrenching, delighted, and concentrated form," and its unique power to re-create the human experience: falling in love, facing death, leaving home, playing basketball, losing faith, finding God. Listening to Linda McCarriston's award-winning poems about a child trapped in a violent home, or to Jimmy Santiago Baca explaining how words changed his life in prison, or to David Mura describing his Japanese American grandfather's experience in relocation camps, or to Sekou Sundiata stitching the magic of his childhood church in Harlem to the African tradition of storytelling, or to Gary Snyder invoking the natural wonder of mountains and rivers, or to Adrienne Rich calling for honesty in human relations, all testify to the necessity and clarity of the poet's voice, and all give hope that from such a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and religious threads we might yet weave a new American fabric.
"'Listen,' said the storytellers of old, 'listen and you shall hear,'" explains Bill Moyers. The Language Of Life is a joyous, life-affirming invitation to listen, learn, and experience the exhilarating power of the spoken word.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
W.S. Merwin was recently described by the New York Times as "A Poet of Their Own" in recognition of his stature in the pantheon of contemporary American poets. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
W.S. Merwin was recently described by the New York Times as "A Poet of Their Own" in recognition of his stature in the pantheon of contemporary American poets. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
The companion book to Moyers' PBS series "The Power of the Word" and "The Language of Life," which brought to a national audience the vigorous living poetry of a number of contemporary poets from the U.S. and abroad. Poetry is not the dead old thing critics like Harold Bloom and Helen Vendler would have us believe it is: this series, and this book, puts it into the ears and mouths of the people, to our betterment.
A worthy read, if you are looking for a general intro into modern poetry. Probably better off just buying a good poetry anthology, though. Few things can be as tiresome as poets yammering on about poetry. Does a terrible job highlighting the works of truly experimental and avant garde writers. Clearly the poets were chosen as much on their accessibility as they were their talent. Gods forefend if one might actually have to think their way through a poem, or - gasp! - not understand it!
Format:Paperback
Bill Moyers is an admirable thinker, so one must be careful to distinguish that the low quality and worth of the ideas in this book are attributable to the poets, not to Moyers himself. Almost all of the poets express themselves in the usual vague and cliched generalities of what they conceive poetry to be -- "Life," "Soul," "Eternity," "Love," "Beauty," etc. Of all the poets interviewed here, only Adrienne Rich (a poet with whom I have many aesthetic differences) sounds as if she has a head on her shoulders. It's no coincidence that the poets represented here also write terrible poetry, again with the exception of Rich.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Must-Have! Poets share their work & discuss it with Moyers
*The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets* with Bill Moyers was shown on Public Television and captivated a wide audience. When I watched it, I was thrilled! Read more
Published on 11 Jun 1998
A good roapmap to current poets
With Moyer's ability to ask the right questions, he extracts some wonderful interveiws from these poets about their lives and their work. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 1998
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