Selected Poems: The Finest Representative American Poetry by Pulitzer Prize-winner Carl Sandburg

by Carl Sandburg

This new collection of Sandburg's finest and most representative poetry draws on all of his previous volumes and includes four unpublished poems about Lincoln. The Hendricks' comprehensive introduction discusses how Sandburg's life and beliefs colored his work and why it continues to resonate so deeply with Americans today. Edited and with an Introduction by George and Willene Hendrick.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature, Fiction, American, Collections, Anthologies

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Free verse poems of known American writer Carl August Sandburg celebrated American people, geography, and industry; alongside his six-volume biography Abraham Lincoln (1926-1939), his collections of poetry include Smoke and Steel (1920).

This best editor won Pulitzer Prizes. Henry Louis Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_San...

Reviews

[Kimber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandburg writes for the working classes, the outcasts, for equality, and the poor...He was the voice of the common man and the common woman. His style, sometimes tight, sometimes loose--I like him better with his tighter poems. He had a great feel for the way people really talked and he weaved the vernacular into his poetry-a beautiful effusion of Imagism and realness--which is his trademark.

I loved the first half of this book (the tighter poems) better than the second half (looser).

my favorites from this book:
Chicago
Dynamiter
Trafficker
Working Girls
Fog
Washerwoman
Window
Billy Sunday
The Eastland
'Boes
Taking on Suds Men Talk
Glimmer
Jerry
Hell Cat
A Million Young Workmen, 1915
Grass
To a Poet

Grass

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.

[Dale Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandburg is the eloquent voice of the working man. Those who toil in dust and mortar. The men and women who find happiness in the fact that they've made it to another tomorrow. He speaks for those who have no voices and those who's voices are lost.

This is the first collection of poems I've read from the man and I'm only ashamed I had not gotten to him earlier. His free-verse style is one that I myself delight in and, to me, always comes off as the most genuine and honest form of poetry.

It amazes me just how much some of the poems contained within this collection resonate today. Especially in the Chicago Poems and War Poems. If you've not read Sandburg, do yourself a favor and pick up a collection of his as soon as possible.

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. I can appreciate Sandburg's intellect and talent, but man oh man, his poems are dreary and depressing. I did not enjoy reading them, nor did I find them edifying.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

These poems made me feel as though I were walking through the streets of America during another time, each poem a snapshot of this country and its people.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the poems don't hold up, but there are quite a few that do. It occurs to me that Sandburg was a proletarian writer 30 years before the Communist Party USA organized writers. Some fine example's of poems Sandburg wrote about working class people are: "Dynamiter," "Ice Handler," and "A Teamster's Farewell."

[gautami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunts

There are places I go when I am strong.
One is a marsh pool where I used to go
with a long-ear hound-dog.
One is a wild crabapple tree; I was there
a moonlight night with a girl.
The dog is gone; the girl is gone; I go to these
places when there is no other place to go.

~Page 70, Selected Poems of Carl Sandburg


Starting with Chicago, this short book of poetry takes us to the real word of the working class. There are no embellishments but these poems speak of the struggle undergone by that class without whom the world cannot move. The poems depict straight from the heart emotions of what he observed and yet contains that mystical, mysterious element. Each poem makes us think and savour the beauty found in the mundane, normal word of the working class, but retains the mystery and needless to say he makes one think. Poetry ought to be like that.

Here I cite few of his poems. See for yourself what do they make you feel and think.

Cool Tombs

When Abraham Lincoln was shoveled into the tombs he forgot
the copperheads and the assassin . . . in the dust, in the
cool tombs.

And Ulysses Grant lost all thought of con men and Wall Street,
cash and collateral turned ashes . . . in the dust, in the
cool tombs.

Pocahontas' body, lovely as a poplar, sweet as a red haw in
November or a pawpaw in May, did she wonder? does she
remember? . . . in the dust, in the cool tombs?

Take any streetful of people buying clothes and groceries,
cheering a hero or throwing confetti and blowing tin
horns . . . tell me if the lovers are losers . . . tell me if any
get more than the lovers . . . in the dust . . . in the cool
tombs.

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

I Am the People, the Mob

I am the people--the mob--the crowd--the mass.
Do you know that all the great work of the world is
done through me?
I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the
world's food and clothes.
I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons
come from me and the Lincolns. They die. And
then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.
I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand
for much plowing. Terrible storms pass over me.
I forget. The best of me is sucked out and wasted.
I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and
makes me work and give up what I have. And I
forget.
Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red
drops for history to remember. Then--I forget.
When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the
People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer
forget who robbed me last year, who played me for
a fool--then there will be no speaker in all the world
say the name: "The People," with any fleck of a
sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.
The mob--the crowd--the mass--will arrive then.

Some of those poems blew me away completely and made me want to read more of his works. Simply look at this:

Pool

Out of the fire
Came a man sunken
To less than cinders,
A tea-cup of ashes or so.
And I,
The gold in the house,
Writhed into a stiff pool.

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Sandburg is one of America's most under-appreciated poets. He has a distinct voice that reminds me a lot of the great folk singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan. I especially like the poem "Fog." It's short and sweet but there is no better imagery than "The fog comes on little cat feet."

I appreciate the accessibility of Sandburg's writing although many critics find it to be pedestrian.

Now I just need to muster the courage to start reading his biography of Abe Lincoln.

[Tim Weakley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second book of Sandburg poems now. I still seem to like his Chicago poems, and soldier poems best of all. I think it's the portraits of simple people in their everyday world that draw me.

[Alexander Donnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having taken my time to read and reflect on Carl Sandburg’s Selected Poems, I find myself somewhat underwhelmed by the collection. I approached his work with an open mind, willing to engage with his themes, style, and reputation as a "poet of the people." However, after careful consideration, I cannot say I found his poetry particularly exciting or emotionally moving.
There is no doubt that Sandburg’s influence and acclaim are well-earned in certain respects. Poems like Fog, Chicago, and The People, Yes have been widely praised for a reason. However, my own reading experience left me feeling that much of his work lacked the depth or resonance I seek in poetry. His portraits, for instance, felt uninspiring—broad and general rather than sharp and revealing. His "Musings" section, like similar sections from many poets, seemed to consist of throwaway thoughts that were never truly meant for readership. While some might enjoy their casual, wandering nature, I found them disengaging.
I also struggled to connect with his protest poems, which felt distant and lacking the urgency that makes for truly powerful social critique. Only one love poem, An Interwoven Man and Woman Talked, stood out to me as compelling. His section on African Americans was especially problematic; Sandburg, despite his intentions, often approached Black life with an outsider’s gaze, reducing it to either stereotypes or broad statements of resilience rather than capturing the complexity and authenticity of lived experiences. Compared to poets like Langston Hughes or Gwendolyn Brooks, his handling of these themes felt superficial.
That said, I did find his anti-war poetry to be his most compelling work. Poems such as Old Timers, Murmurings in a Field Hospital, Salvage, Wars, A Million Young Workmen, 1915 (particularly its last line), Open Letter to the Poet Archibald MacLeish, and The Man with Broken Fingers (again, especially its last line) contained a rawness and poignancy that I found much more affecting than his other themes. There was a visceral quality to these poems that seemed more genuine than his broader reflections on America and its people.
Although The People, Yes is widely celebrated, I found TimeSweep to be the standout poem in the "Poet of the People" section, demonstrating some gorgeous phrase-making. Additionally, cantos 78 and 207 from The People, Yes struck me as particularly beautiful. These moments suggest that Sandburg was capable of greatness, even if much of his work didn’t resonate with me.
Ultimately, I respect Sandburg more than I enjoy him. His documentary approach to poetry, his embrace of free verse, and his focus on the working class were undoubtedly important in shaping American literature. However, I personally found his poetry lacking in emotional depth and stylistic richness. While I do not regret reading Selected Poems, I did not find it a particularly rewarding experience overall.

[Nick Milinazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Give me hunger,
O you gods that sit and give
The world its orders.
Give me hunger, pain and want,
Shut me out with shame and failure
From your doors of gold and fame,
Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger!

But leave me a little love,
A voice to speak to me in the day end,
A hand to touch me in the dark room
Breaking the long loneliness.
In the dusk of day-shapes
Blurring the sunset,
One little wandering, western star
Thrust out from the changing shores of shadow.
Let me go to the window,
Watch there the day-shapes of dusk
And wait and know the coming
Of a little love."

**Note: this is not the "Selected Poems" book I read, edited by George & Willene Hendrick. The one I read is from the "Library of Classic Poetry" which not found on Goodreads or Amazon (it's part of a four volume collection of various poets). I chose this version to review as it was the closest.**
Sandburg wrote about a multitude of topics, but his most notable subject was probably the common (often poor) man: those on the bottom rung of the ladder. He spoke of them directly and honestly, presenting them as they were. But while doing so, he gave them honor, joy, laughter, and above all, respect. His often plain-spoken style was initially frowned upon, but eventually he gained favor and won the Pulitzer Prize twice: once for his selected works, and once for his multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln. Not all of his work was successful, but a good portion of it was; and when he was "on," the results were stunning. I enjoyed enough of his poetry that I will likely procure his Complete collection.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was already familiar with, and liked, Sandburg’s better-known poems, e.g., Chicago, The Grass, Fog. This collection introduced me to quite a few more gems. But there were also a lot of poems that seemed nonsensical to me. And while there might be more to some of these than met my eye, I didn’t see enough to make me want to dig into them more deeply.

I liked the editors’ introduction and learned a lot about Sandburg’s background, which added to my appreciation of his poetry. I also liked their grouping of the selected poems into eleven categories: Chicago, Images, Poems of Protest, Love Poems, Lincoln, Anti-War and War Poems, Portraits, African-Americans, Poet of the People, Musings, and Poetry Definitions.

In general, I liked poems from the sections Chicago, Images and Portraits best; I liked poems from Poet of the People and Musings least; and poems from the section Lincoln broadened my understanding of the scope of Sandburg’s work most.

I wanted to give this book 3 1/2 stars. Having to choose between 3 and 4, I was leaning toward 3 but after scanning the book to refresh my recollection, I settled on 4.

[halina mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Poetry is the establishment of a metaphorical link between white butterfly-wings and the
scraps of torn-up love-letters."

This collection of poetry is phenomenal. It has all of the grief of a friend grieving a friend and all of the hope of a child running through a field of wildflowers. Sandburg's metaphors and imagery make his poetry stand out amongst the poets of his age, and his bravery in talking of hard topics makes him a hero. Not only do his poems have depth of emotion, they are brilliantly crafted to make the reader feel something- and almost all of them do. Sandburg is a poetic genius and now one of my favorite authors. I love his heart for the people and feel a call to action from his poetry.

My favorite sections were Chicago, Anti-War and War Poems, and Poems of Protest the best. I got slightly bored during Poet of the People and Musings, but they did not drop my rating. I also loved Poetry Definitions.

[Ida]

As I always say, no stars on my reviews, at least for now.

In school, we were taught about the fog on little cat feet. Yes, that's a wonderful poem. But they didn't teach us about Sandburg's fire-in-the-belly screeds against corporate greed, child labor and worker exploitation.

His images - whoo boy. An example:

They Will Say

Of my city the worst that men will ever say is this:
You took little children away from the sun and the dew,
And the glimmers that played in the grass under the great sky,
And the reckless rain; you put them between walls
To work, broken and smothered, for bread and wages,
To eat dust in their throats and die empty-hearted
For a little handful of pay on a few Saturday nights.
**

One thing to note is that some of the language in a couple of the poems wouldn't fly today. Yet the intent was always to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly don't like poetry...but Carl Sandburg's poems are more like prose, stories told in only a few lines. I love his stuff.

In this book, my favorites are Under III, Who am I?, Government, I am the People, the Mob, The Junk Man, and To Whom My Hand Goes Out. These particular poems either spoke to me or made me laugh.

The beautiful thing about Carl Sandburg's poems is that there's something for everyone. If you look hard enough, you'll find at least one that will speak to you.

[Jenna]

from “The Right to Grief” - Very well, you for your grief and I for mine. Let me have a sorrow of my own if I want to.


from “On the Way” - Let us ask ourselves: What is truth? what do you or I know? How much do the wisest of the world’s men know about where the massed human procession is going?


from “Under the Harvest Moon” - Under the summer roses when the flagrant crimson lurks in the dusk of the wild red leaves, love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you
beautiful, unanswerable questions.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though my great-uncle had more than a bit to do with getting Sandburg's work into public hands, this volume further proves he did like to handle the quirkier efforts. Another he handled was Ogden Nash, another of the quirky.

This collection is a great example of quirky Sandburg from over his years. I, myself, do not care for Sandburg if referred to as poet. Taking his writings as historical reference to Illnoise and midwest, his work is imperative reading to understand where we are today.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.

[Bernie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will concede that poetry has never occupied a place in my soul. But I tried then when I discovered “Selected Poems of Carl Sandburg”.
Arrangements, he wrote about the practical battles of the toiling class.
Having read and appreciated Sandburg’s profile of Abe Lincoln and “Rock” the sole tale he focused on, I reveled in his style of writing.
The accounts of his poetry express strong emotions and vigorous passions addressed out of a sentiment for the struggling class.

[Insert name here · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love his Chicago poems. I would argue he was among the last of the poets who wrote with an audience of the general public, rather than the circle-jerk of more recent poets who are writing obscure, bland crap that appeals only to each other...and then wonder why no one reads poetry anymore.

I don't think he was a good poet, but he actually had something worth saying. And I do think some of his Chicago poems are decent.

[Peggy Heitmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who can argue with the power of a poem like "Chicago"? or "Fog"? But "The Four Brothers" went on and on and on for 6 pages. All I can say about this is he should have brought this poem to my critique group before publishing so he could benefit by suggestions to cut, cut, cut! This is a book written by a man who championed the common folk, spoke in plain language about the era he lived in, and wrote in a manner that was acceptable during that era.

[Joe Brunory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is our Chicago poet. He is us, every man. His poetry is 100 years old now and speaks clearly, inspiring and exciting our sensibilities. Sandburg shows us that we are so much more than ourselves. His style is as genuine as a heartbeat, each word like a defined hot cell of human blood forced through ventricles chambered and waiting for the pulse of their next arrival.

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandburg is truly a poet of the working class. I enjoyed his poems about Chicago and about World War I the most. I was disturbed by his use of the n-word in several poems, and surprised that they ended up in this book, as they didn't seem to be among his best. My favorite from this collection was "Ready to Kill."

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this collection of selected poems at a used book sale and decided to take a chance on it. I was happy I did. In my 44 years, I don’t think I ever read a syllable of Sandburg’s work. I was all the poorer for it. His poetry is elegant, written simply and that is often the most difficult to write. There are some real beauties in here. Highly recommended if you are into poetry.

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good poetry collection! I enjoyed the latter half of the “Chicago” poems as well as the natural elements in “Fogs and Fires.” Although from a craft perspective, they were all high quality. I loved learning that Carl Sandburg was one of the pioneers to exemplify the use of everyday vernacular. His poems are also grounded in the working class experience.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a worthy anthology of works by the ultimate Everyman poet. So many favorites, from “Grass” to the Lincoln poems and “Prairie.” And the anti-war poetry. It all makes me think I’d like to meet him and shake his hand someday.

[Whiskey Tango]

The People, Yes......With a great love of ordinary Americans, Sandburg celebrates his country--its vibrant colloquialisms, its legends and real-life history, and its heroes both famous and unknown.

[Marti Martinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to like Shakespeare, Pope, Marvell, and Wilbur before I could appreciate this. Oh, and I can't forget William Carlos Williams.

I like how he trashed the religions "bunksters" of his day.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Carl Sandburg's poetry. Of course, some speak to me and others not so much. What a unsettled time he lived in. Poetry reflecting history.

[JL Salty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read over the course of two weeks to curate collection for 7th grade poetry project.

[David M. M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having moved freshly to Illinois, it struck me that I ought to read one of my new home's most beloved poets. Striking images, pointed language, much to love here.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just don't see the appeal of poems