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The Next Ancient World
Jennifer Michael Hecht’s purpose in The Next Ancient World is clear and to offer a guidebook for those that come after. She does all that and more, delivering verse after verse with astonishing wit and precision to craft a narrative that truly goes above and beyond. Hecht turns the everyday into the immaculate, creating a simple yet jaw-dropping voice. In lines like “the deadline/for the grant is long past, long past/but some part of you/writes for guidelines… This is not what the survival/expert had in mind”, Hecht demonstrates her tongue-in-cheek wit.
This wit that has taken her far, especially after the acclaim that The Next Ancient World received upon its publishing Now, twenty years later, Hecht’s lines are clear indicators of the long career that awaited her, demonstrating an unmatched understanding and mastery of both language and verse.
This wit that has taken her far, especially after the acclaim that The Next Ancient World received upon its publishing Now, twenty years later, Hecht’s lines are clear indicators of the long career that awaited her, demonstrating an unmatched understanding and mastery of both language and verse.
- GenresPoetry
78 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2001
About the author
Jennifer Michael Hecht
14 books185 followersJennifer Michael Hecht is a poet, historian, philosopher, and author.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 4, 2009
I liked this book very much. Hecht does a wonderful job of combining mythology and popular culture with wit, intelligence, and creativity to to envision how future readers might interpret our current world.
Hecht has an original,interesting voice. And she's willing to experiment and take risks -- an admirable quality. Risks sometimes fail, however. And some experiments are disasters.
The one poem that I absolutely would not have included in this collection were it mine or were I Hecht's editor is the four page poem, entitled
"No, I Would Not Leave You If You Suddenly Found God." Although, the poem evidences certain skill and has some wonderful lines, it basically comes off as a self-indulgent anti-rant -- a list poem with each line beiginging with the word "praise". I goes on and on and on with such uninspired lines as "praise bravery" or "praise glory." Although some of these less than poetic lines are amusing...four pages of them is far too many. This poem was a major part of my giving the book a four star rather than a five star raiting. My reaction was "Praise the fact Hecht FINALLY stopped praising!"
Hecht has an original,interesting voice. And she's willing to experiment and take risks -- an admirable quality. Risks sometimes fail, however. And some experiments are disasters.
The one poem that I absolutely would not have included in this collection were it mine or were I Hecht's editor is the four page poem, entitled
"No, I Would Not Leave You If You Suddenly Found God." Although, the poem evidences certain skill and has some wonderful lines, it basically comes off as a self-indulgent anti-rant -- a list poem with each line beiginging with the word "praise". I goes on and on and on with such uninspired lines as "praise bravery" or "praise glory." Although some of these less than poetic lines are amusing...four pages of them is far too many. This poem was a major part of my giving the book a four star rather than a five star raiting. My reaction was "Praise the fact Hecht FINALLY stopped praising!"
March 25, 2016
A diverse and inventive collection, split into four parts. Overall I enjoyed the first part the most - it's got this prophetic, pre-apocalyptic vibe as it sets down reminders for future civilisations. By far my favourite poem, however, was "Tiger Story" of part three, wherein a tiger catches prey and eats some of it before being injured by another tiger who wants the food. The wounded tiger is then rescued and healed before being let out into the wild again. It's a fantastic poem, very evocative. I've read it several times already, and I'm sure I'll be going back to it in the future.
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November 15, 2007Her brother recommends it. Hi Jamey!
April 9, 2009
Gosh, this is good. Reading it again.
Heard about this woman on Speaking of Faith. She also wrote Doubt: A History, which sounds fascinating.
When I was at the bookstore I pulled a bunch of poetry books off the used shelf, and this was the only one of the batch that seemed to actually talk to me. The rest of them were staring at the wall, rambling in fancy talk.
Heard about this woman on Speaking of Faith. She also wrote Doubt: A History, which sounds fascinating.
When I was at the bookstore I pulled a bunch of poetry books off the used shelf, and this was the only one of the batch that seemed to actually talk to me. The rest of them were staring at the wall, rambling in fancy talk.
August 14, 2007
Met her at AWP in Atlanta last year. She was very sweet.
February 26, 2025
Me fui peleando un poco con el libro. Son poemas filosóficos, sobre el presente y su poso. A veces me costó seguirlos porque la densidad se me hacía hermética y no tuve paciencia. Otros poemas sin embargo me entusiasmaron. El fantasma del recuerdo en la mano de Trotsky?! Me gusta cuando se pone un poco apocalíptica. En realidad me gustó mucho cuando conseguí conectar, quizá puedo releerlo en verano.
(he buscado y encontré esto de Elena Medel diciendo que también le costó así que supongo que me quedo más tranquilo: https://elenamedel.substack.com/p/la-... )
(he buscado y encontré esto de Elena Medel diciendo que también le costó así que supongo que me quedo más tranquilo: https://elenamedel.substack.com/p/la-... )
February 24, 2024
simply excellent- full of amazing crystallisation's of thought and insight
October 27, 2007
One of the best poetry books of the past 20 years.
June 13, 2009
There are lines of brilliance, but I feel like I have to read lots of words to get to them.
December 14, 2008
Stunning, authentic poetry - one of the best collections I've read in years.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews