The Complete Poems to Solve

by May Swenson, Christy Hale (Illustrator)

A collection of poems celebrates the magic and the mystery of the written word and features riddle poems and poems about animals, water, space, and more.

Genres: Poetry

115 pages, Library Binding

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

Anna Thilda May "May" Swenson was born in Logan, Utah to Swedish immigrant parents—and she grew up speaking Swedish at home. Swenson earned a BA from Utah State University and briefly worked as a reporter in Salt Lake City. She moved to New York City in the 1930s. Swenson is considered one of mid-twentieth-century America’s foremost poets.

Swenson’s poetry was widely praised for its precise and beguiling imagery, and for the quality of its personal and imaginative observations. Swenson’s ability to draw out the metaphysical implications of the material world were widely commented on; but she was also known for her lighthearted, even joyous, take on life.

Swenson left New York City in 1967, when she moved to Sea Cliff, Long Island where she lived with her partner, the author R.R. Knudson. During her prolific career, Swenson received numerous literary awards and nominations for her poetry. She taught and served as poet-in-residence at many institutions in both the United States and Canada, and she held fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation. She was the recipient of the Shelley Memorial Award, the Bollingen Prize, and Award in Literature from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. She received an honorary degree from Utah State University as well as their Distinguished Service Gold Medal. Swenson was a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 1980-1989.

-- from The Poetry Foundation

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As puzzles go, these aren't anything. To an adult. BUT! I think they might be ok to read a few out loud for an elementary class visit. Our outreach team has some giant laminated picture puzzles from CDB! and CDC?, and those work really well because there's a also visual component (which isn't necessary, but does help hold kids' attention). For an older kiddo who genuinely loves puzzle and/or poems, I would highly suggest reading Feg: Ridiculous Poems for Intelligent Children which is a real treat. Most of the poems in this collection I guessed the answer in the first few lines; whereas FEG is such a joyous and absurd romp through language that it held my interest throughout and left me absolutely delighted.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although these poems are described as "poetry for young readers," this senior citizen thoroughly enjoyed them. I have seldom read a collection of poems so clever, so playful and inventive, and yet so lovely and lyrical. No obtuseness here, just brightness and clarity--a rarity.