Collected Poems

by Ron Padgett

Gathering the work of more than fifty years, Ron Padgett's Collected Poems is the record of one of the most dynamic careers in twentieth-century American poetry. Padgett's poems reverberate with his reading and friendships, from Andrew Marvell to Woody Guthrie and Kenneth Koch. Wry, insightful, and direct, they offer readers the rewards of his endless curiosity and generous spirit.

From "Glow":

When I wake up earlier than you and youare turned to face me, faceon the pillow and hair spread around, I take a chance and stare at you, amazed in love and afraidthat you might open your eyes and havethe daylights scared out of you. But maybe with the daylights goneyou'd see how much my chest and headimplode for you, their voices trappedinside like unborn children fearingthey will never see the light of day. The opening in the wall now dimly glowsits rainy blue and gray. I tie my shoesand go downstairs to put the coffee on.

Ron Padgett grew up in Oklahoma and has lived mostly in New York City since he went there in 1960 to attend Columbia, with stays in Paris, South Carolina, and Vermont. Although a memoirist and translator, most of his writing since 1957 has been poetry. He is a happy grandfather.

Genres: Poetry

840 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2013

About the author

Ron Padgett is a poet and translator whose Collected Poems won the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and the 2014 Los Angeles Times Prize for the best poetry book. Padgett has translated the poetry of Apollinaire, Pierre Reverdy, Valery Larbaud, and Blaise Cendrars.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voluminous!

It Turns Out

I haven't turned out
to be the person
I hoped I would,
but that's just
too damned bad.

[A. Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four of the poems used in Paterson appear in this, and there's a lot of other gold too.

Disgruntled Man

I brush the hair located on the right side of my head,
I brush it beautifully,
thinking of you. Then
I notice that the hair on the left side
is standing slightly higher than on the
right, and my head appears to be lopsided.
I don't want it to look that way.
So I begin to brush down the left side,
grimly, with a sense of
purpose devoid of pleasure
that drips down the well wall
toward some deep, dark, and cool pool
in which only peace is reflected.

Soon my head is in balance,
but it has become a head brushed for bad reasons
and I do not like the face I see.
A man disgruntled
with the way he brushed his hair.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ron Padgett is without a doubt my favourite poet after reading this collection. He has a very light and carefree sensibility to his work and finds a way to perfectly balance comedy and absurdity with genuine emotional insight. I'm sad to have finally finished this huge collection because it was such a treat - I already plan on rereading it sometime soon.

[Marianne Frenhofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li esse livro por causa do filme Paterson, de Jim Jarmusch. Ron Padgett escreveu quase todos os poemas que aparecem no filme, com exceção do que a menina lê para Paterson, escrito pelo próprio Jarmusch.
Estou apaixonada pela forma como Padgett escreve, e como ele nos inspira a querer também escrever. Tudo é poesia, e eu acredito nisso. Comprei esse volume porque ele me pareceu o mais completo, e realmente é muito bom. Uma pena não ter tradução para português (se é que isso é possível em poesia - discussão eterna). Recomendo.

[Mary Kennedy]

Horray!

[João Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We have plenty of matches in our house
We keep them on hand always
Currently our favourite brand
Is Ohio Blue Tip
Though we used to prefer Diamond Brand
That was before we discovered
Ohio Blue Tip matches
They are excellently packaged
Sturdy little boxes
With dark and light blue and white labels
With words lettered
In the shape of a megaphone
As if to say even louder to the world
Here is the most beautiful match in the world
It’s one-and-a-half-inch soft pine stem
Capped by a grainy dark purple head
So sober and furious and stubbornly ready
To burst into flame
Lighting, perhaps the cigarette of the woman you love
For the first time
And it was never really the same after that
All this will we give you
That is what you gave me
I become the cigarette and you the match
Or I the match and you the cigarette
Blazing with kisses that smoulder towards heaven.”

[josé almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

trata-se da recolha de tudo o que o poeta norte-americano escreveu até 2013, em quase 800 páginas que demonstram sem margem de dúvida por que razão padgett é um dos grandes nomes da poesia actual. a disposição segue uma ordem cronológica, permitindo observar a evolução da sua escrita, desde o alinhamento à chamada segunda geração da new york school dos anos 60-70 até ao emergir de uma voz própria (que ele parodia), onde a observação irónica e um humor especial na desconstrução de regras caminham lado a lado com um lirismo mais formal mas sempre surpreendente. é um livro de cabeceira, para ir degustando aos poucos e ao longo dos próximos tempos. foi editada recentemente uma colectânea bilingue de poemas seus, na assírio e alvim. para quem não lê inglês, vale a pena começar por aí.

[Richard Subber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Udderly unappealing.

I dare to imagine that Ron Padgett would appreciate my post-Romantic attempt to critique his poetry in a jive kind of way.
You can try Collected Poems.
See what you think.

Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com