Tawny Grammar: Essays

by Gary Snyder

Two beautifully paired essays, "Tawny Grammar" and "Good, Wild, Sacred," serve to offer an autobiographical framework for Gary Snyder's long work as a poet, environmentalist, and a leader of the Buddhist community in North America.



He begins standing outside a community hall in Portland, Oregon, in 1943 and concludes as a homesteader in the backcountry of Northern California more than forty-five years later. A wonderful introduction to Gary Snyder, this will also serve to remind his faithful readers of the thrill of his insights and his commitments crucial to our future on Turtle Island.



Each palm-size book in the Counterpoints series is meant to stay with you, whether safely in your pocket or long after you turn the last page. From short stories to essays to poems, these little books celebrate our most-beloved writers, whose work encapsulates the spirit of Counterpoint Press: cutting-edge, wide-ranging, and independent.

Genres: Essays, Nature, Poetry

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2019

About the author

Gary Snyder is an American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. His early poetry has been associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance and he has been described as the "poet laureate of Deep Ecology". Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the American Book Award. His work, in his various roles, reflects an immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature. He has translated literature into English from ancient Chinese and modern Japanese. For many years, Snyder was an academic at the University of California, Davis, and for a time served as a member of the California Arts Council.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mission accomplished with this book. Friends, I took it everywhere with me: camping, an apple orchard, shopping, and I slipped it in my pocket when my toddler needed to hold my hand.⁣⁣
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TAWNY GRAMMAR explores a lot of topics from language theory and native customs specifically on the west coast/Alaska, and nature. It was a fantastic introduction to Gary Snyder’s writing, and I’m eager to try out his famous poetry.⁣⁣

[Sarah High · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely reflections of honoring the land and the people who came before us

[Keeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read, considering how many deep intellectual issues it comes to grips with. I am much more on the wavelength of the first essay than the second -- which makes some clearly fantastical claims like Petrarch having invented vernacular poetry. But both are worth reading for the breadth of a poet's enthusiasm about the world.

[Ray Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The anthropocentrism of some new age thinkers is countered by the radical critique of the Deep Ecology movement." Page 106

[John Riselvato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this pocket book on a whim. I was walking around my neighborhood and went into Christophers Books in Potrero Hill, SF and felt awkward in overstaying the typical "I'm just browsing" time period, so found the smallest - cheapest book I could find and read it that night (I'm literally 2 weeks away from moving apartments). I like Gary Snyder so I figured I couldn't go wrong anyways.

The book totally beat all expectations. I'm not normally one to pick up an essay book (this is my first) but I see merit in the non-fiction genre. I liked both essays, neither overstayed their welcome and were quick, witty and thought provoking.

If you have like 1.5-2 hours and you feel like finishing a book in one setting, I totally recommend it. You might end up looking at the preservation of language or the sacredness of land with just a bit more intention. 5/5

[Dan Gobble · Rating 5 out of 5]

A voice of sanity in an age where too many folks turn a blind eye to the dismantling and destruction of wild places, sacred spaces, and ancient cultures.

[cassady · Rating 5 out of 5]

first thing i did in lake george was read this . it was perfect

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of the two essays in this book, the titular "Tawny Grammar," is much better. By itself, that would've been a 5. The second essay is a bit undercooked by comparison.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book of two essays I had to read “Tawny Grammar” a couple of times, and “Good, Wild, Sacred” three times before I really got them. Snyder brings in so many elements that I was challenged to keep the story thread. I like that there’s only two essays, and that I could contemplate them together.

“Tawny Grammar” delves into language via Alaska, Japan, nature, and Snyder’s youth. It’s more experiential than philosophical. “Good, Wild, Sacred” ponders these three words in terms of land and its use by various cultures. Snyder leads us from California through the Australian outback, through the Mesolithic and the Transcendentalists, revealing commonalities among cultures and evolution of ideas about what is wild, good, and sacred. It’s hard to describe but easy to experience.

Recommended for nature lovers and fans of Gary Snyder’s poetry and personality.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two essays that look at the world, in both celebration and concern ...