Sapphics and Uncertainties: Poems 1970-1986

by Timothy Steele

“Desperately and delightfully unfashionable” was how reviewer Richmond Lattimore characterized Timothy Steele’s Uncertainties and Rest when it first appeared in 1979. Sapphics against Anger and Other Poems appeared in 1986 and solidified and extended Steele’s reputation as, in the words of Publishers Weekly , “one of the finest contemporary poets to write in meter and traditional forms.”
 
Sapphics and Poems 1970–1986 draws together these two books into a single volume. This collection offers the most substantial gathering yet from a body of work widely praised for its tonal and thematic range and for its wit and warmth of feeling.

Genres: Poetry

92 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot remember why I bought this work: I will read more, again.

[Tom Romig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume includes, with modest modifications, Timothy Steele's first two collections of poetry, Sapphics against Anger and Other Poems and Uncertainties and Rest. Steele uses an array of poetic forms and styles, excelling in all. Poems to read aloud, poems to return to again and again.

The last stanza of "Family Reunion":

And it's a resolution of sorts. Staid,
Together for the past, if nothing more,
We share the same relaxing masquerade--
A life that's always gentle, never strict,
In which there's space enough for us and for
Lies we no longer care to contradict.

[Daniel Klawitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

How gigantic the dark,
How hopeful the litany.

-from "Nightpiece"

Timothy Steele has been writing hopeful litanies against the dark for over 40 years. One of America's best poets writing in meter and rhyme, he is required reading for anyone who appreciates the continuing wonders of formal verse.