First Loves: Poets Introduce the Essential Poems That Captivated and Inspired Them

by Carmela Ciuraru, Alice Quinn (Foreword)

A collection of poetry selected by today's favorite poets as those that first inspired them includes timeless favorites and insightful essays by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners including Roethke, Pinsky, and Heaney.

Genres: Poetry, Essays

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 10, 2000

About the author

Carmela Ciuraru is the author of Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms, and her anthologies include First Loves: Poets Introduce the Essential Poems That Captivated and Inspired Them and Solitude Poems. She is a member of PEN American and the National Book Critics Circle, and she has been interviewed on The Today Show and by newspapers and radio stations internationally. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acclaimed poets sharing the poems that first stole their hearts into the world of poetry and never returned them...obviously this book gets five stars from me.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

About 70 contemporary poets explain their
connection with one particular poem that
turned each on to poetry. The first-loved
poets range from Shakespeare to Rodgers &
Hart, with some getting the nod more than
once. But only one poem is cited more
than once:"Jabberwocky" rang the bell for
two modern poets.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the sections of this book are inspired, where a poet introduces some verse segment that highlights a poet who is not well-known, or makes a well-known but difficult poem more accessible. The problem with this book, though, is that many of the sections come across as hastily done homework assignments, where the poet that is writing has no clear recollections of a favorite poem, but turns in their assignment nonetheless.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Operation Enjoy Poetry is going poorly

10/67

[Suzanne Macdowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading these poems and also reading the essays that accompanied them. Made me appreciate works I had never read before as well as old favorites I now see in a whole new light.

[Denis Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable read. it is always interesting to read what other people really like. In this case you also get to read the poems they first fell in love with. It is one of those books you can dip in and out of and it makes sense. You will also find yourself reciting the poems you know. It should also prompt you to remember the first poem you fell in love with. Go on try it out.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't care about every poet, nor did I care about every poem chosen. But reading many of the essays was completely delightful. And it was nice to have someone knowledgeable explain to me why I should care about Hart Crane or confirm for me that Yeats was such a jerk but so undeniably good.

[Dana Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jumped out at me in the library. Read while going through a pregnancy with my daughter. There’s nothing better than preparing with a good book. Read while pregnant with Everlynn.