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News of the Universe: Poems of Twofold Consciousness
Acclaimed poet and translator Robert Bly here assembles a unique cross–cultural anthology that illuminates the idea of a larger–than–human consciousness operating in the universe. The book's 150 poems come from around the world and many from the ecstatic Sufi poet Rumi to contemporary voices like Kenneth Rexroth, Denise Levertov, Charles Simic, and Mary Oliver. Brilliant introductory essays trace our shifting attitudes toward the natural world, from the "old position" of dominating or denigrating nature, to the growing sympathy expressed by the Romantics and American poets like Whitman and Dickinson. Bly's translations of Neruda, Rilke, and others, along with superb examples of non–Western verse such as Eskimo and Zuni songs, complete this important, provocative anthology.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
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427 people want to read
About the author
Robert Bly
284 books414 followersRobert Bly was an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.
Robert Bly was born in western Minnesota in 1926 to parents of Norwegian stock. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and spent two years there. After one year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard and thereby joined the famous group of writers who were undergraduates at that time, which included Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth Koch, John Ashbery, Harold Brodky, George Plimpton, and John Hawkes. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next few years in New York living, as they say, hand to mouth.
Beginning in 1954, he took two years at the University of Iowa at the Writers Workshop along with W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, and others. In 1956 he received a Fulbright grant to travel to Norway and translate Norwegian poetry into English. While there he found not only his relatives but the work of a number of major poets whose force was not present in the United States, among them Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Gunnar Ekelof, Georg Trakl and Harry Martinson. He determined then to start a literary magazine for poetry translation in the United States and so begin The Fifties and The Sixties and The Seventies, which introduced many of these poets to the writers of his generation, and published as well essays on American poets and insults to those deserving. During this time he lived on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and children.
In 1966 he co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War and led much of the opposition among writers to that war. When he won the National Book Award for The Light Around the Body, he contributed the prize money to the Resistance. During the 70s he published eleven books of poetry, essays, and translations, celebrating the power of myth, Indian ecstatic poetry, meditation, and storytelling. During the 80s he published Loving a Woman in Two Worlds, The Wingéd Life: Selected Poems and Prose of Thoreau,The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and A Little Book on the Human Shadow.
His work Iron John: A Book About Men is an international bestseller which has been translated into many languages. He frequently does workshops for men with James Hillman and others, and workshops for men and women with Marion Woodman. He and his wife Ruth, along with the storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, frequently conduct seminars on European fairy tales. In the early 90s, with James Hillman and Michael Meade, he edited The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, an anthology of poems from the men's work. Since then he has edited The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Selected Poems of William Stafford, and The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy, a collection of sacred poetry from many cultures.
Robert Bly was born in western Minnesota in 1926 to parents of Norwegian stock. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and spent two years there. After one year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard and thereby joined the famous group of writers who were undergraduates at that time, which included Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth Koch, John Ashbery, Harold Brodky, George Plimpton, and John Hawkes. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next few years in New York living, as they say, hand to mouth.
Beginning in 1954, he took two years at the University of Iowa at the Writers Workshop along with W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, and others. In 1956 he received a Fulbright grant to travel to Norway and translate Norwegian poetry into English. While there he found not only his relatives but the work of a number of major poets whose force was not present in the United States, among them Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Gunnar Ekelof, Georg Trakl and Harry Martinson. He determined then to start a literary magazine for poetry translation in the United States and so begin The Fifties and The Sixties and The Seventies, which introduced many of these poets to the writers of his generation, and published as well essays on American poets and insults to those deserving. During this time he lived on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and children.
In 1966 he co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War and led much of the opposition among writers to that war. When he won the National Book Award for The Light Around the Body, he contributed the prize money to the Resistance. During the 70s he published eleven books of poetry, essays, and translations, celebrating the power of myth, Indian ecstatic poetry, meditation, and storytelling. During the 80s he published Loving a Woman in Two Worlds, The Wingéd Life: Selected Poems and Prose of Thoreau,The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and A Little Book on the Human Shadow.
His work Iron John: A Book About Men is an international bestseller which has been translated into many languages. He frequently does workshops for men with James Hillman and others, and workshops for men and women with Marion Woodman. He and his wife Ruth, along with the storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, frequently conduct seminars on European fairy tales. In the early 90s, with James Hillman and Michael Meade, he edited The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, an anthology of poems from the men's work. Since then he has edited The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Selected Poems of William Stafford, and The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy, a collection of sacred poetry from many cultures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 4, 2023
News of the Universe is two books in one. Yes, it’s an anthology of poems, just another in a world swimming with them. But it is also an argument by Robert Bly, the editor. The shortest section is the first, which is poetry as represented by the "Old Position": logic and reason and mankind obsessed with the power of mankind. Descartes and his “I think, therefore I am” (in love with myself, Bly might add). Poets like Pope, Swift, Milton, and Arnold.
Then we move to the "New Position" in chronological sections with poets of the “two-fold consciousness.” The heroes here are Blake and Gerard de Nerval and, from Germany, Goethe, Holderlin, and Novalis. They are the first wave of writers who see a return to the night, to emotion, to wilderness and universe, to the animal kingdom, to dreams and even polytheism. This meets Bly’s approval big-time.
What doesn’t? The poetry of narcissism. The pronoun “I.” Man as conqueror of his world, captain of all animals, tamer of weather and wilderness. What Bly doesn’t get to (as this first came out in 1980 and is reissued in 1995) is that, in a way, many writers and poets of 2020 have slipped back to that me, me, me thing.
Robert Frost (a winner here) writing about nature isn’t cool anymore. It’s just not in fashion, which explains a lot to poets who waste their time on writing about birds and trees and even a dead woodchuck (yes, there's a poem about this in the book). The reading world, as editors know, is more attuned to subjects coming up on Twitter and Facebook feeds nowadays. Were he alive, Frost might say, #whocares?, but then, what does Frost know? It’s 2020 and for four years we’ve even endured a Narcissist in Chief who makes no mistakes and is perfect in every way and is the best at everything (should you forget, just ask him). The Old Position is Renewed, in other words.
This book's combination of poetry and treatise makes for a rich blend and most interesting reading. First Bly argues, then he uses various poets as evidence for the jury. If you like this old-fashioned sort of thing, you’re going to like the book. If you like reading about human relationships and human tragedies and human joys, etc., not so much.
Here are some familiar faces who wrote of the universe and man's bit part in it: John Clare, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, Hermann Hesse, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, D.H. Lawrence, Juan Ramon Jimenez, Hart Crane, Robinson Jeffers, W.B. Yeats, Wallace Stevens, Pablo Neruda, Federico Garcia Lopez, Gary Snyder, Kenneth Rexroth, Denise Levertov, John Haines, William Everson, James Wright, Anna Akhmatova, Richard Wilbur, Theodore Roethke, Galway Kinnell, Wiliam Stafford, Louis Gluck, Mary Oliver, Tomas Transtromer, Francis Ponge, Marianne Moore, Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Simic, Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai, Shinkichi Takahashi, and a whole lot more.
Then we move to the "New Position" in chronological sections with poets of the “two-fold consciousness.” The heroes here are Blake and Gerard de Nerval and, from Germany, Goethe, Holderlin, and Novalis. They are the first wave of writers who see a return to the night, to emotion, to wilderness and universe, to the animal kingdom, to dreams and even polytheism. This meets Bly’s approval big-time.
What doesn’t? The poetry of narcissism. The pronoun “I.” Man as conqueror of his world, captain of all animals, tamer of weather and wilderness. What Bly doesn’t get to (as this first came out in 1980 and is reissued in 1995) is that, in a way, many writers and poets of 2020 have slipped back to that me, me, me thing.
Robert Frost (a winner here) writing about nature isn’t cool anymore. It’s just not in fashion, which explains a lot to poets who waste their time on writing about birds and trees and even a dead woodchuck (yes, there's a poem about this in the book). The reading world, as editors know, is more attuned to subjects coming up on Twitter and Facebook feeds nowadays. Were he alive, Frost might say, #whocares?, but then, what does Frost know? It’s 2020 and for four years we’ve even endured a Narcissist in Chief who makes no mistakes and is perfect in every way and is the best at everything (should you forget, just ask him). The Old Position is Renewed, in other words.
This book's combination of poetry and treatise makes for a rich blend and most interesting reading. First Bly argues, then he uses various poets as evidence for the jury. If you like this old-fashioned sort of thing, you’re going to like the book. If you like reading about human relationships and human tragedies and human joys, etc., not so much.
Here are some familiar faces who wrote of the universe and man's bit part in it: John Clare, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, Hermann Hesse, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, D.H. Lawrence, Juan Ramon Jimenez, Hart Crane, Robinson Jeffers, W.B. Yeats, Wallace Stevens, Pablo Neruda, Federico Garcia Lopez, Gary Snyder, Kenneth Rexroth, Denise Levertov, John Haines, William Everson, James Wright, Anna Akhmatova, Richard Wilbur, Theodore Roethke, Galway Kinnell, Wiliam Stafford, Louis Gluck, Mary Oliver, Tomas Transtromer, Francis Ponge, Marianne Moore, Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Simic, Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai, Shinkichi Takahashi, and a whole lot more.
January 12, 2022
Clearly my onefold consciousness wasn't up to the task of understanding the poems in this anthology 😆 Maybe I'll try again after I move to a higher plane.
All kidding aside, I am kind of disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more. I loved Bly's Iron John and continue to want work from him that comes anywhere close to the quality of that one.
All kidding aside, I am kind of disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more. I loved Bly's Iron John and continue to want work from him that comes anywhere close to the quality of that one.
March 20, 2018
An incredible book.
April 27, 2008
Not just a poetry anthology, this great collection is actually an idea, or an entire argument in several parts, illustrated by well-chosen poems. Originally published by Sierra Club Books in 1980, the version out now seems to date from 1995. Robert Bly put this book together, and his introductions to each new section are brilliant. The concept explored here is Western civilizations's relationship to nature. Bly argues that we have come a long distance in the past several hundred years (though it seems to me we have taken steps backwards since the original publishing date of this book!) The poems start in the time of Decartes, with the idea that nature is a rich possession of humankind, to be exploited and used with joy. They poems here are fierce and bold and confident and frightening. From there, the arc swings through the romantic era, when poems showed a big shift in consciousness in ideas of nature. Without recounting each section, the overall concept is that nature has a tremendous power all its own, and that ancient societies realized this and often honor it, but that we in the west have moved away from that idea considerably, and are just starting to realize and embrace it again. The poems are good and exciting exemplars of these ideas. A rich collection that takes you on a journey through these concepts.
February 5, 2023
This would pair nicely with Roderick Nash's Wilderness and the American Mind.
April 16, 2020
If mind-bending, consciousness-expanding poetry is your thing, I found more of it here (and of a good quality too!) than I have in any other collection of poetry. I was expecting to read the Blakes, Rilkes, and Goethes, but this collection also includes some lesser known poets, and masterpieces by Robinson Jeffers, Hart Crane, Jules Supervielle, Robert Hayden, Fred Berry... too many to name. Over the past several weeks I have been struck several times with an image, or passage from one of the poems. I immediately pick up the collection and re-read the poem, which reading is often followed by hours of awe and contemplation. Any book that can provide that is pretty powerful. I thank, Robert Bly for compiling this!
What is keeping this from a five-star rating is the inclusion of a number of ineffective poems, and some essay passages that are disjointed or go further than is warranted. Overall though, the brilliant parts are brilliant enough that I recommend reading this collection.
What is keeping this from a five-star rating is the inclusion of a number of ineffective poems, and some essay passages that are disjointed or go further than is warranted. Overall though, the brilliant parts are brilliant enough that I recommend reading this collection.
August 10, 2012
Reopened this again last night, and I'm already refreshed. This differs from other anthologies, in that Bly edits philosophically (even polemically), not merely by time period. He declares his passion for poems that discern consciousness or divine energy all through the natural world. Few perspectives are as transformative; we suffer so much from centering ourselves in our human reasoning, our "I think, therefore I am," and have such need of communion with the non-human. I bought my copy 26 years ago and it's still with me! Published by the Sierra Club Press. (Did you know that Goodreads has no Poetry category? Grrr!)
September 30, 2010
This book changed my life. It changed my perception and understanding on the nature of consciousness and its evolution through poetry. It clarified how I perceived history, and how I perceive society. One of the 20 books on my must read before death list. I have given 4 or 5 copies of this book away as gifts to friends.
November 29, 2017
Another reviewer stated that 'this should be regarded as a inroduction to the spiritual foundation of poetry for the non-literate environmentalist.' I agree with this statement, to large extent. This collection is more than just a normal anthology, or variations-on-a-theme, it's to be read like a book, cover-to-cover, and reading the introductions to each section if one really wants to follow Bly's argument that over the course of time poets have helped with the awakening of spiritual/natural consciousness. While I realize the above statement sounds really woo-woo, actually this book is a solid and useful teaching tool for High School or college level English classes. Well written, although a bit skewed toward 'author's pick' authors for the inclusions. An important book, worth returning to.
Read
April 5, 2024“The dominant literature, now weakening, is the literature that aggressively studies human reactions. He mentions Pope, Kleist, Byron, and the domestic dramas of Ibsen and Shaw. Ibsen took the middle-class living room up on stage with no changes, because for most of his life he refused to study anything except the human… I suspect Beowulf was written in… the milieu before Descartes, in which the speaker has faith in nighttime events. I’ve chosen one passage from Beowulf. A writer, rather than saying abstractly, ‘There is a consciousness out there so real it is dangerous,’ can say instead: ‘Once there was a being named Grendel.’”
January 27, 2021
A great and classic poetry book to own. You can also borrow a copy because it introduces readers to poets of the world. In my poetry critique group, several other poets own copies, too. I bought my copy many years ago and still refer to it. A one of a kind, no other book like this anthology edited by American poet, Robert Bly.
November 7, 2021
Interesting concept: a selection of poetry from different eras that show how our ideas regarding "nature" have changed. I think Bly makes a valid argument. In any case, it's a wonderful collection of poems.
December 9, 2019
A stunning combination of poetry anthology and philosophical treatise.
June 26, 2025
“And so long as you haven’t experienced
this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest
on the dark earth”
this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest
on the dark earth”
September 30, 2025
Some good poems — weed through the mostly bad commentary
September 15, 2016
The premise of this collection, as I read it, is that poetry has the power to grant consciousness to the outer, "material" world of other things and beings, things and beings that are "outside" the mind and thought of the human person. Let's face it though; this is just a book of very good poetry. Robert Bly is to be trusted as an editor, and if you enjoy his work this is a great book to pick up.
It's hard to review anthologies, so I can just say that this book came into my hands when I desired strongly to sink into the world of poetry--reading and writing--and it delivered nicely. The selections are wide-ranging, and some of the work is unique in its expression of feeling and consciousness.
There are poets that will be familiar to most or all readers, but there are some poets that will be surprisingly discovered for the first time. If you're looking for new poets to check out, that's another reason to read News of the Universe.
What can I say? A book of very good poetry.
It's hard to review anthologies, so I can just say that this book came into my hands when I desired strongly to sink into the world of poetry--reading and writing--and it delivered nicely. The selections are wide-ranging, and some of the work is unique in its expression of feeling and consciousness.
There are poets that will be familiar to most or all readers, but there are some poets that will be surprisingly discovered for the first time. If you're looking for new poets to check out, that's another reason to read News of the Universe.
What can I say? A book of very good poetry.
May 8, 2008
This anthology of "ecology" poems is well put together and the contents are surprising in the diversity of cultures and times represented. Some famous poets are featured, but the offerings here are lesser known works. Bly's concern is human consciousness as it pertains to the environment. He shows examples of the "old position" in which the natural environment is seen as belonging to humans and there for us merely to control and direct. And he shows the progression (though not necessarily chronological) in consciousness toward respect for nature's integrity. These poems feature rich imagery revealing the intense energies and complexities of nature, and of the natural world.
This is one of my favorite poetry anthologies; Robert Bly's commentary is insightful.
This is one of my favorite poetry anthologies; Robert Bly's commentary is insightful.
May 12, 2010
Robert Bly's choices of poems is good, although fairly stacked toward the fellers - if you know these poets at all there is a good chance that you have already moved through the sort of ideas that Mr Bly presents regarding his constructed Old and New Positions - no one who reads Gary Snyder needs to be reminded that he's no Pope, or Milton. Maybe this should be regarded as a inroduction to the spiritual foundation of poetry for the non-literate environmentalist - i dont know - but it surely treats the world as comprising 2 aspects and both of them with european ancestors...
March 27, 2014
Very nice anthology of poetry from all over the world, across generations. The theme is how our relationship with nature has changed over time. From Milton and Swift to Rumi, Rilke, Neruda, and Eskimo songs to Whitman and Wordsworth, and finally to contemporary poets like Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, and Denise Levertov, the collection is full of great poems about our love of, relationship to, and often dominance of nature.
November 22, 2008
A core volume in my library. It takes the reader into the stae of consciousness that we share with the natural world. A very authentic voice from the sacred of many traditions. More powerful than I knew when I first encountered it. .
December 18, 2008
as other reviewers have stated, this book does unfold like the awakening of consciouness. I wasn't able to experience that fully my first attempt at reading it. Second try i was more receptive and it the journey was as clear as winter air.
August 9, 2010
I am very lucky to have found the book on the bargain pile at school. This is a very interesting collection of poems that covers both sides of the argument on nature. Consciousness is truly awakened and it will make you appreciate everything.
December 2, 2018
Probably the best collection of poetry I have ever read. This book is a wide-ranging collection of poems and prose poems by writers who live with respect for animals, plants, wind, water, and objects. Highly recommended.
November 8, 2007
Bly's commentary can get a bit new agey (though still interesting and well put), but the poems of the second half are wonderful.
April 9, 2008
An amazing and diverse collection of romantic (spirit of nature) poetry for the non-expert. Bly's commentary at the beginning of each chapter is bold and brilliant, in my view, its his best work.
May 23, 2008
Another interesting and enjoyable Bly anthology.
September 30, 2010
This book changed my life by changing my perception of not just poetry, but the meaning of being alive.
November 25, 2010
An interesting collection of poems about the wonder and sacredness of life.
February 3, 2012
D: poetry
June 2, 2012
Another good collection of world poetry selected by Robert Bly. The collection feels a little scattered to me, but contains many treasures too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews