Poet's Choice

by Robert Hass

When Robert Haas first took his post as U.S. Poet Laureate, he asked himself, "What can a poet laureate usefully do?" One of his answers was to bring back the popular nineteenth-century tradition of including poetry in our daily newspapers. "Poet's Choice," a nationally syndicated column appearing in twenty-five papers, has introduced a poem a week to readers across the country. "There is news in poems," argues Robert Haas. This collection gathers the full two years' worth of Hass's choices, including recently published poems as well as older classics. The selections reflect the events of the day, whether it be an elder poet recieving a major prize, a younger poet publishing a first book, the death of a great writer, or the changing seasons and holidays. They also reflect Hass's personal taste. Here is "one of the most gorgeous poems in the English language" ("To Autumn" by John Keats): a harrowing Holocaust poem ("Deathfugue" by Paul Celan); and "my favorite American poem of spring" ("Spring and All" by William Carlos Williams). With a brief introduction to each poet and poem, a note on the selection, and insights on how the poem works, Robert Hass acts as your personal guide to the poetry shelves at your local bookstores and to some of the best poetry of all time.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1998

About the author

Robert Hass was born in San Francisco and lives in Berkeley, California, where he teaches at the University of California. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. A MacArthur Fellow and a two-time winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, he has published poems, literary essays, and translations. He is married to the poet Brenda Hillman.

Reviews

[Harrison Wein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read some of the columns by U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass that make up this book when they were first published in the Washington Post. As a collection, this "notebook of a poet's readings," as Hass describes it, makes a wonderful bedside book. I would read one or two entries before turning off the light and fall asleep thinking about what I'd just read.

Hass is a thoughtful guide, posing questions and pointing out details to pay attention to. A particularly strong aspect of his selections is the wide range of different types of poems represented. Hass includes classics like Robert Frost's haunting "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," Paul Laurence Dunbar's powerful "Sympathy," and Matsuo Basho's haikus. You'll also find wonderful poems by more contemporary poets such as Denise Levertov, Hayden Carruth, and Michael Ondaatje. You never know what you'll encounter next. It's a surprising voyage of discovery, and there's a lot to treasure if you keep an open mind.

Haas wrote that he aspired to help "give us back what we are losing--a shared, literate public culture." I think this is a great model to follow, and makes a gem of a book.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Hass was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. I thought it lasted for the entire Presidential term, but I suppose I have a lot to learn about Poet Laureates.

Hass used to write a newspaper column called Poet's Choice. In the column, Hass would discuss poetry from various sources and share them with his readers. The book is a collection of those newspaper articles.

The articles came out weekly, so Hass organized them by season. The book covers two years, so it cycles through eight seasons.

Thank you for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Frederick Gault · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent volume for the bedside, with an interesting collection of poems, each discussed by the author.

[An · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read such a book like this: this was a widely different experience I’ve had with any other book, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I made sure to take my extra time on this because in the introduction, Hass advised—in one way of reading—to take it bit-by-bit. However, once I was neck-deep into the book, I stopped trying to pace myself and just read it normally because I’m not good at making sure I read a little bit each day; it’s either I eat whole chunks, or there are deserts and peaks of interests one after the other. The poems he selected were really great; I loved reading them over-and-over again, letting them sit and soak in my cranium. Robert has a really diverse taste in poetry, and I think my skill at writing poetry has actually improved since reading his book as well. I loved his little notes he added to the poems he showcased; hearing an experienced poet talk about the poems he selected, why he selected them, and his thoughts was really interesting. I’d love to get my own copy of this book, and go back to this again because I can definitely see myself revisiting it and enjoying it once again in the future.

[Rynell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this to anyone wanting to become more familiar with poetry.

While Robert Hass was Poet Laureate of the United States, he wrote a weekly newspaper column in which he highlighted various poets. Many of the poems are written for or relate to a certain time of year. Hass exposed the US to poetry in a way that had not been done for many years. I love his introductions to these poems. He is a kind and warm poetry-loving teacher. His voice speaks through his column and offers brief insights and observations without sounding like a lecture.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good anthology for random reading. I enjoy opening the book to a section, each is organized by a season of the year, and reading a few poems. The opportunity to find poets with whom I'm unfamiliar is just as much fun as the anticipation of encountering an old friend. Every time I wander into the book I come away with joy at having shared the spirit of poetry with one of the best poets. With the inclusion of incisive notes by Robert Hass, a former Poet Laureate, this is a welcome addition to my poetry shelf. Anyone who loves poetry will enjoy this volume.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think this anthology is as good as Garrison Keillor's books, but it's worth a browse-through. Hass is even handed and includes poets from different time periods and cultures. My favorite quote is from William Carlos Williams: It is difficult/to get news from poems/yet men die miserably every day/for lack/of what is found there

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short columns on poetry enormously, savoring it bit by bit over the course of the last year or so. It's was so refreshing to be introduced to each poet with the short contextual material Hass provides. I wish there were more such books on poetry, and will definitely be reading the second volume collecting his poetry columns from the Washington Post.

[Katlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, but that was kind of the point and the excitement. Loved the concept, though I didn't always find the explanations that insightful, but they did achieve a casual, conversational tone. Loved the essay on children's poems. I found a lot of great new poets through the book, which was what I was looking for.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful overview of the wide world of poetry, but doesn't read quite as well as Edward Hirsch's subsequent volume.

[Michal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found several new favorite poems here. Also see A Poetry Home Repair Manual and How To Read a Poem and Start a Poetry Circle.