This Journey

by James Wright

Lyrical poems portray the author's childhood and experiences in Europe and explore life in the natural world

Genres: Poetry

91 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 1982

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

On December 13, 1927, James Arlington Wright was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio. His father worked for fifty years at a glass factory, and his mother left school at fourteen to work in a laundry; neither attended school beyond the eighth grade. While in high school in 1943 Wright suffered a nervous breakdown and missed a year of school. When he graduated in 1946, a year late, he joined the army and was stationed in Japan during the American occupation. He then attended Kenyon College on the G.I. Bill, and studied under John Crowe Ransom. He graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1952, then married another Martins Ferry native, Liberty Kardules. The two traveled to Austria, where, on a Fulbright Fellowship, Wright studied the works of Theodor Storm and Georg Trakl at the University of Vienna. He returned to the U.S. and earned master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Washington, studying with Theodore Roethke and Stanley Kunitz. He went on to teach at The University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and New York City's Hunter College.

Reviews

[Ken]

This posthumous collection of poems was largely complete at the time of Wright's premature death in 1980, but it doesn't hold a candle to The Branch Will Not Break and Shall We Gather at the River. Not surprising, really, as it seems few writers of prose or poetry end on triumphant notes. No. It seems to either come early or, in the case of most poets, in the middle of their writing journeys. Still, there are moments and there are glimpses and there are lines that call me back to the older poems I loved. No regrets, reading this. None at all.

[Lee Kuiper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having stumbled upon “A Blessing” I immediately sought out to read more James Wright. (Although it is not included in this book “A Blessing” is simply beautiful; a poem to make one fall in love with poetry itself.) Of course, the caliber of “A Blessing” cannot be sustained permanently by any author. I made the unfortunate mistake of setting my expectations too high coming into this which is my first exposure to a collection of Wright’s poetry.

Wright is a great poet and this book showcases his talent up until the end of his life. It holds true to his supposed style of pastoral surrealism, evoking one’s movement through and attuned to a landscape. It’s sometimes lonely and melancholic and other times playful and bucolic. The idea of “the journey” works well since many (all?) of the poems are about his traveling through Italy or, on a deeper level (and since it was published posthumously) as a metaphor for (his) life.

He balances beautiful imagery and poignant thoughts into numerous little unsuspecting poems.

If you wish to do some more research before diving in to This Journey, here are a few (you might be able to find online) of my favorites from the book:

The Turtle Overnight
Against Surrealism
Lightning Bugs Asleep in the Afternoon
Small Wild Crabs Delighting on Black Sand
A Fishing Song
Among Sunflowers

After whetting my appetite with This Journey, I eagerly look forward to reading the Pulitzer Prize winning Collected Poems of James Wright.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just finished the last volume of Wright’s poetry. Published posthumously, and handed to a friend on his death bed, ‘The Journey’ is just that. Meditations on Midwestern memories, natural beauty, death and dying, life and living. Funny, sad, angry, regretful, lonely, and always searching - a life fully-lived. These poems were a capstone on an amazing body of work. Highly recommended!

[Dan Sendker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of disappointed that I stretched out James Wright's final book of poetry over so many months. It makes it kind of hard to leave an accurate review. But overall, this was a solid collection. Some redundancy across similar poems, but also very clear that this man was dying and knew that this would be his last volume. He's wrapping up his life here.

[Valerielynnbassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wright's last collection, published posthumously. So much sad, dark beauty in this voice. I love the Ohio ones particularly "The Turtle Overnight," ""The Sumac in Ohio." ALso, "A True Voice," and "Coming Home to Maui."

[Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Collection, Among my favorites are "Among Sunflowers," "Camomilla," "Butterfly Fish," and "The Turtle Overnight." His pastoral observations are second to none, a modern Whitman.

[Seth the Zest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some writers make me think that I've returned home just be reading them. The cadence of Wright brings me that glorious feeling every time I read his work.