Selfish

by Albert Goldbarth

"If Goldbarth belongs to a school, he is surely its sole member. He's simply . . . one of our most generous working poets." --Rumpus


And you

perhaps don't like this poem: its free verse
or its narrative or the way it uses
gender or the heavy-handed
word-play of its title.

Like I care.

I wrote this for me.
--from "'Try the Selfish'"

In his latest collection, the incomparable Albert Goldbarth explores all things "self-ish": the origins of identity, the search for ancestry, the neurology of self-awareness, and the line between "self" and "other." Whether one line long or ten pages, whether uproariously comic or steeped in gravitas, these are poems that address our human essence.

Genres: Poetry

184 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2015

About the author

Albert Goldbarth is an American poet born January 31, 1948 in Chicago. He is known for his prolific production, his gregarious tone, his eclectic interests and his distinctive 'talky' style. He has been a Guggenheim fellow and won the National Book Critics Circle award in 1991 and 2001, the only poet to receive the honor two times. He also won the Mark Twain Award for Humorous Poetry, awarded by the Poetry Foundation, in 2008.

Goldbarth received his BA from the University of Illinois in 1969 and his MFA from the University of Iowa in 1971. He is currently distinguished professor of Humanities at Wichita State University, and he teaches in the Low-Residency MFA program in Creative Writing at Converse College.

Reviews

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest playful, intelligent, prosaic but rhythmical volume of poetry by this excellent poet and essayist. Goldbarth has a wonderful way of taking surprising routes to where his poems are going. These poems, as hinted in the title, are first-person and touch on certain aspects of Goldbarth’s life, but they are not memoristic, and Goldbarth shares so much with the reader, one could never call the poems selfish in any way. I rarely read a volume of poetry straight through; I kept reading a few poems every day, which is the equivalent for me of not being able to put it down. Highly recommended.

[Roberto Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thought that crossed my mind about this work poetry was “I love the size of the book.” As I read through the poems I kept thinking “classic.” While reading the poems I realized how the size of the book complements the way the poems flow throughout the pages.

Selfish focuses on our own desires and our own passion to concentrate on the self, but challenges the reader to expand their worldview. It invites the reader to feel and to listen through the chaos.

A great read and one to cherish.

[Scott Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldbarth's poems are thesis driven, and as such they should--like novice poetry, like bad high school poetry--flop because the ideas they work through are so front and center, so inorganic. They don't, though. Goldbarth surrounds his ideas, wraps them up, with wit, language, and personality above all. My one complaint is that the book is way too long, and the best poems like "The Pluses" and "Summary: kinetic and potential" are muted by poems that could have been culled. Though there's a tremendous energy in the language in these poems, from time to time, in the lesser work, that energy seemed based on a formula: the passionate rant of a crusty old man.

[Alyssa Boxer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won my copy of Selfish from a goodreads giveaway. This book is a book of poems written in a way that I am not quite as familiar with but still enjoyed thoroughly. Goldbarth wrote in such a way that when I had to stop reading in order to get some school work done, I was constantly bargaining with myself for just one more poem. He explores life and it's different aspects in a truly unique way that drew me in.

I would suggest this to all fans of poetry but also those who want to give an interesting, unique read a try.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads. It is a book of poems dealing with aspects of self. The author has won many awards for his books. He divides the book into sections and since I am new to poetry it is easy to read and follow. He has really good poems in the book.

[R.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never like all the poems in a collection, but I figure if I finish reading it and one or two sticks with me, that's pretty good. I kept turning down pages to mark poems, so this collection did much better than most. It helps that the author writes in a variety of tones and styles. Some poems are the free-association wordscrambles that tend to bore me, but others speak on a theme, a plot, and make their way through it with admirable deftness. It's also very generously long, compared to some other collections, which gave it more shots on goal, so to speak. Overall, as with all poetry, I liked this and will keep the volume, which is really my metric of whether something is 4-star for me.

[Tyler Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert's work is always rich and labyrinthine, and these poems are no exception. Perhaps not as engrossing or as cosmic in focus as his earlier collection Budget Travel through Space and Time, Selfish is still a dense book that asks hard questions of its readers--and, if interviews can be believed, of its author as well.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

* I won this book from a GoodReads giveaway *
This book of poetry just didn’t pull me in. Maybe it was my mood. Maybe it is because I’m not intelligent enough to appreciate it. Maybe I should give it another try on down the road. Who knows.

[Cj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kind of poetry I have never read before but really enjoyed. Intelligent. Some of the pieces would suddenly turn morbid and I found myself laughing out loud which is always great.