The Collected Poems of James Laughlin

by James Laughlin

James Laughlin is best known as the publisher of New Directions Books, but he has also been a dedicated poet. His work is both modern—rich in technical experiment—and ancient—grounded in the Greek and Latin poets. Guy Davenport has called Laughlin 'a very ironic Roman poet, and a very salty Greek one. Which is not to say that he imitates anybody, or offers plaster casts of antiquities. He is the youngest and most modern poet now writing in the United States. He is the real thing.' Laughlin describes himself as a writer of light verse. He can be witty but underneath the wit there are often pungent truths about the human condition. His work is notable for its range of subject matter, the originality of its invention, his restoration of the classical tradition, his wordplay, his satire, and the intensity of his love poems....'Who else today,' asks the critic Marjorie Perloff, 'writes such bittersweet, ironic, rueful, erotic, tough-minded, witty love poems, poems that run the gamut from ecstacy to loss?' This volume collects Laughlin's poems from 1935 to 1993.

Genres: Poetry

1200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

James Laughlin was an American poet and literary book publisher who founded New Directions Publishing.

One of Laughlin's most anthologized works is "Step on His Head", a poem about his relationship with his children.

Reviews

[Patti K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This new collection of the founder of New Directions is a fun experience.
It covers his entire career so there is a great variety of topics. He uses
free verse to great ends. Talking about love, daily life, Latin authors,
French poems, Greek poems and love. Most of them are light-hearted and
there is a breeziness about them.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

since I read it in eleventh grade it is still one of the greatest books i have ever read. His description and love poetry are genius. I loved him so much that when i read Ezra Pound was his mentor I began reading him to see how good he was just because he was Laughlin's mentor.

[Michael Gossett · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a man whose identity is rooted in his publishing (Laughlin founded New Directions and got several major poets' careers started), the poetry is quite remarkable. 'The Man in the Wall' and 'In Another Country' are two fantastic books.