Counting Myself Lucky: Selected Poems 1963-1992

by Edward Field

A collection of selected (from his six previous volumes) and new poems by Field, who never has forgotten the relationship between laughter and grief.

Genres: Poetry

307 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

EDWARD FIELD was born in Brooklyn, and grew up in Lynbrook, L.I., where he played cello in the Field Family Trio which had a weekly radio program on WGBB Freeport. He served in WWII in the 8th Air Force as a navigator in heavy bombers, and flew 25 missions over Germany. He began writing poetry during World War II, after a Red Cross worker handed him an anthology of poetry. But it was not until 1963 that his first book, Stand Up, Friend, With Me, won the Lamont Award and was published. In 1992, he received a Lambda Award for Counting Myself Lucky, Selected Poems 1963-1992. Other honors include the Shelley Memorial Award, a Prix de Rome, and an Academy Award for the documentary film “To Be Alive,” for which he wrote the narration. In 1979, he edited the anthology, A Geography of Poets, and in 1992 with Gerald Locklin and Charles Stetler, brought out a sequel, A New Geography of Poets. He and his partner Neil Derrick, long-time residents of Greenwich Village, have written a best-selling historical novel about the Village, The Villagers. His most recent book is his literary memoirs, The Man Who Would Marry Susan Sontag, and Other Intimate Literary Portraits of the Bohemian Era. After the Fall, Poems Old and New, will be published by the U. of Pittsburgh Press in October, 2007.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Edward Field’s ode to “Chopin,” he claims complicity with the composer by advising him: “Don’t listen to those critics with their dried-up eyes;/They don’t like me either, my poems embarrass them” (187-188). Upon encountering these lines, I felt a bit guilty for the scathing comments floating in my mind about this collection. It was the first moment I felt the strength of un-self-consciousness in his poetic voice and an awareness that he is intentionally writing over-the-top, sentimental verse that rarely rises about the communicative function of the personal lyric. I’m no music expert, but I do know that although Chopin’s work is viewed as sentimental, I don’t think anyone criticizes his technical ability. With few exceptions, Field writes overly narrative verse that pounds its psychological knowledge and themes into the reader’s brain. They leave no mystery, no resonance to make me want to return to them. Additionally, besides a few instances of playfully rhyming wordplay, pairing such words as “afraid/aid” (92) or “age/garbage” (99), there seems little attention paid to the sound of these poems or the affects of their form. In fact, many pieces felt as if they could have been brief essays about the places he has traveled or the people and films he admires. I was astonished to learn he had won a Lamont Award and it made me wonder if he’s a noteworthy poet in the GLBT literary community because he so openly addressed his homosexuality before other poets did. It is certainly what drew me to go see him read a year and a half ago and to buy this book at the reading; and in that respect, I’m glad to have read his work and be able to place him in my literary tradition. Ultimately, although this was a sometimes light and enjoyable summer read, I don’t think I’ll be returning to it very soon.

[Pachyderm Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suffice to say that any reader of this volume ought consider "counting themselves lucky" after encountering and perusing this omnibus collection of Edward Fields's poetry. I did.

[Mary Helene · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm experimenting with poetry, just picking up collections to try, something that's easier to do with poetry than novels. 72 pages in and I'm not interested. The fellow is too self-centered, and the language fails to enchant.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early poems are brilliant. The later poems fall off and, at times, devolve into mere prose. Still one of my favorite poets.

[Michael Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Field is one of my poet heroes.