Lovesick: Poems

by Gerald Stern

Poems deal with lovesickness, loss, the imagination, music, religion, meditation, the past, nature, sleep, death, language, and farewells

Genres: Poetry

84 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

Gerald Stern, the author of seventeen poetry collections, has won the National Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Ruth Lilly Prize, and the Wallace Stevens Award, among others. He lives in Lambertville, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Scott Guy]

enjoyed a lot of the imagery in this book and there were 2 or 3 poems that i really liked… didn’t really come together for me as a compilation though

[tay]

I’m on the fence between 2.5 & 3. It wasn’t bad, just not my taste. There were a handful of lines that resonated with me & a couple poems I appreciated, but overall I could have not read this collection & been satisfied. But also... as I am going back to reread some of these poems, some do really strike me. Language is solid. I think, perhaps it’s the straightforwardness & sometimes the topics which I don’t care much about. But then I’m hit with a really great poem. Uggghhh. Ratings are hard. I guess I am content I read it, because it didn’t take much time & I have found some good poems in here. But I wouldn’t consider him a favorite & wouldn’t pick up another one of his collections, unless it came highly recommended from a friend.

[S. Wilson]

I was lucky enough to attend a reading by Gerald Stern years ago at Warren County Community College in New Jersey (thanks to B.J. Ward and Brian Bradford), during which he signed my copy of this book, including a separate signature on the page containing one of my favorite poems in the collection, Lillian Harvey. Stern's poems are unflinchingly personal, gritty and rough in the way that self-reflection should be, yet compassionate and accessible.

Personal favorites from this collection:

This Was a Wonderful Night
Lillian Harvey
Bob Summers' Body

[Tricia]

pretty poignant moments in straight forward language. i'd read this one sitting on a curb with a cappicola and provolone panini