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Selected Poems
The Selected Poems is a unique selection of Oppen's work from the seven books he published during his lifetime. Edited by one of our most respected contemporary poets, Robert Creeley, who provides an informative introduction, George Oppen's Selected Poems includes Oppen's only known essay, "A Mind's Own Place," as well as "Twenty-Six Fragments" which Oppen wrote on envelopes and scraps of paper and posted to his wall, edited by Stephen Cope. Also incorporated is a helpful chronology and bibliography of his writings by Rachel Blau DuPlessis, celebrated editor of Oppen's letters. On his death, Hugh Kenner wrote, "George Oppen, gentlest of men...prized what took time, found the grain of materials, exacted accuracy." Oppen's Selected Poems is the perfect text for teaching and a remarkable window into a world of lasting light and clarity.
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2003
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About the author
George Oppen
24 books56 followersGeorge Oppen (April 24, 1908 – July 7, 1984) was an American poet, best known as one of the members of the Objectivist group of poets. He abandoned poetry in the 1930s for political activism, and later moved to Mexico to avoid the attentions of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He returned to poetry—and to the United States—in 1958, and received the Pulitzer Prize in 1969.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 4, 2025
A Singular Poet
Although his masterpiece is titled "Of Being Numerous", George Oppen (1908 -- 1984) led a singular life and wrote in a singular voice. His poetry explores the tensions between the multiplicity of images, places, ideas, and people, and the solitary self. This selection of Oppen's poetry edited by Robert Creeley includes poems from each of Oppen's published books together with an introductory essay by Creeley, Oppen's only essay, and a useful chronology. It is an excellent introduction to a too-little known American poet.
Oppen led a singular life in that, among other reasons, he began his writing career in the mid-1930s and then underwent a 24-year silence before returning to poetry in 1958. During this time, Oppen travelled with his wife, Mary, worked as a social activist and as a machinist, served in the U.S. Army during WW II, and was active in the communist party. His writing reflects a varied and complex life.
Oppen's poetic voice was also singular. In the mid-1930's he became associated with other important American poets, including William Carlos Williams, Carl Rakosi, Louis Zukofsky, and Charles Reznikoff who wrote in a style described as "objectivist". Their writing aims at conciseness, understatement and particularity. Oppen and his peers tried to create a new poetic language free of convention and stock responses and showing -- or being -- a perception of the world. Oppen's poetry remains true throughout to the teachings of objectivism. But his writing seems to me more philosophically oriented and tends more to a treatment of ideals and questions than the poetry of his fellows.
In the 1960's, Oppen deepened his friendship with the Jewish-American poet Charles Reznikoff and often toured and read with him. Reznikoff's poetry is clear and simple and frequently trends towards Jewish themes. Reznikoff has always been one of my quiet heroes. I find Oppen much harder to read. And, although he was born to an assimilated Jewish family, there is little of Jewish content in Oppen's poetry. Still, there are commonalities between the two.
A poem I particularly enjoyed in this collection was "Image of the Engine" written in 1962. This poem is in five short sections and has been the subject of considerable commentary. It contrasts the cold, impersonal character of a machine, and of the mechanistic civilization based upon it, with the human heart, the need for love and companionship and with "the heart thundering/Absolute desire". Walt Whitman was throughout a great influence on Oppen. I find the best way to approach this poem is as exploring the same themes as Whitman's famous poem, "To a Locomotive in Winter". I don't think Oppen accepts Whitman's optimism on the role of the machine.
But the greatest poem in this book is Oppen's long work, "Of Being Numerous" for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. This is a poem in 40 short sections which is richly allusive to Blake, William Carlos Williams, and Whitman, among many others. The poem ends with a prose quotation from Whitman.
Oppen begins his poem:
"There are things
We live among 'and to see them
Is to know ourselves'."
Much of the poem is a celebration of the diversity of life and experiences in Manhattan coupled with reflections on how the heart of the individual remains one and itself through the multiplicity. (Hence the title and the discussion of "numerosity") In its reflections on numerosity and on the individual, Oppen takes up again Whitman's themes. But he does so in a restrained, disciplined, and focused style. The poem moves seamlessly through a variety of issues such as love, war, social activism and the role of poetry. It is a great modern American poem in the tradition of Whitman but in a unique voice.
Although lengthy, "Of Being Numerous" is more accessible and easier to follow than many of the shorter, more crystallized poems included in this volume.
I also enjoyed Oppen's collection "Some San Francisco Poems" (1972) which does for San Francisco what "Of Being Numerous" does for Manhattan. Oppen was a wanderer and describes the sea, the Bahamas, the European Theatre of WW II, his birthplace of New Rochelle and other places throughout his poetry. But I am most taken with his settings in New York and San Francisco and with his descriptions of industrialization and modernity.
Oppen's poetry needs to be read and reread over time. His is a precious voice.
Robin Friedman
Although his masterpiece is titled "Of Being Numerous", George Oppen (1908 -- 1984) led a singular life and wrote in a singular voice. His poetry explores the tensions between the multiplicity of images, places, ideas, and people, and the solitary self. This selection of Oppen's poetry edited by Robert Creeley includes poems from each of Oppen's published books together with an introductory essay by Creeley, Oppen's only essay, and a useful chronology. It is an excellent introduction to a too-little known American poet.
Oppen led a singular life in that, among other reasons, he began his writing career in the mid-1930s and then underwent a 24-year silence before returning to poetry in 1958. During this time, Oppen travelled with his wife, Mary, worked as a social activist and as a machinist, served in the U.S. Army during WW II, and was active in the communist party. His writing reflects a varied and complex life.
Oppen's poetic voice was also singular. In the mid-1930's he became associated with other important American poets, including William Carlos Williams, Carl Rakosi, Louis Zukofsky, and Charles Reznikoff who wrote in a style described as "objectivist". Their writing aims at conciseness, understatement and particularity. Oppen and his peers tried to create a new poetic language free of convention and stock responses and showing -- or being -- a perception of the world. Oppen's poetry remains true throughout to the teachings of objectivism. But his writing seems to me more philosophically oriented and tends more to a treatment of ideals and questions than the poetry of his fellows.
In the 1960's, Oppen deepened his friendship with the Jewish-American poet Charles Reznikoff and often toured and read with him. Reznikoff's poetry is clear and simple and frequently trends towards Jewish themes. Reznikoff has always been one of my quiet heroes. I find Oppen much harder to read. And, although he was born to an assimilated Jewish family, there is little of Jewish content in Oppen's poetry. Still, there are commonalities between the two.
A poem I particularly enjoyed in this collection was "Image of the Engine" written in 1962. This poem is in five short sections and has been the subject of considerable commentary. It contrasts the cold, impersonal character of a machine, and of the mechanistic civilization based upon it, with the human heart, the need for love and companionship and with "the heart thundering/Absolute desire". Walt Whitman was throughout a great influence on Oppen. I find the best way to approach this poem is as exploring the same themes as Whitman's famous poem, "To a Locomotive in Winter". I don't think Oppen accepts Whitman's optimism on the role of the machine.
But the greatest poem in this book is Oppen's long work, "Of Being Numerous" for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. This is a poem in 40 short sections which is richly allusive to Blake, William Carlos Williams, and Whitman, among many others. The poem ends with a prose quotation from Whitman.
Oppen begins his poem:
"There are things
We live among 'and to see them
Is to know ourselves'."
Much of the poem is a celebration of the diversity of life and experiences in Manhattan coupled with reflections on how the heart of the individual remains one and itself through the multiplicity. (Hence the title and the discussion of "numerosity") In its reflections on numerosity and on the individual, Oppen takes up again Whitman's themes. But he does so in a restrained, disciplined, and focused style. The poem moves seamlessly through a variety of issues such as love, war, social activism and the role of poetry. It is a great modern American poem in the tradition of Whitman but in a unique voice.
Although lengthy, "Of Being Numerous" is more accessible and easier to follow than many of the shorter, more crystallized poems included in this volume.
I also enjoyed Oppen's collection "Some San Francisco Poems" (1972) which does for San Francisco what "Of Being Numerous" does for Manhattan. Oppen was a wanderer and describes the sea, the Bahamas, the European Theatre of WW II, his birthplace of New Rochelle and other places throughout his poetry. But I am most taken with his settings in New York and San Francisco and with his descriptions of industrialization and modernity.
Oppen's poetry needs to be read and reread over time. His is a precious voice.
Robin Friedman
May 31, 2020
Echo like history
Down walled avenues
In which one cannot speak.
As I noted, the above appears in two different poems, which I find fascinating. I relished my way through this collection and often felt I was reading an anthology, selections from disparate members of a collision of stylistic vantages and priorities. There were traces of O'Hara, stilted visions of a Creeley. Episodic sparks and the rush of cold air from a door opened wide.
The evocation at the end was remarkable. It traces the development of American verse in the 20C and how it revolted against its own voice and devoured both the progeny and the inheritance.
Down walled avenues
In which one cannot speak.
As I noted, the above appears in two different poems, which I find fascinating. I relished my way through this collection and often felt I was reading an anthology, selections from disparate members of a collision of stylistic vantages and priorities. There were traces of O'Hara, stilted visions of a Creeley. Episodic sparks and the rush of cold air from a door opened wide.
The evocation at the end was remarkable. It traces the development of American verse in the 20C and how it revolted against its own voice and devoured both the progeny and the inheritance.
Read
April 14, 2017George Oppen passed through the world like an itinerant sign painter (with his wife, Mary), constantly shifting locales, sometimes living on a boat, leaving behind a small literary reputation. He was like Jesus! For decades, George became a Communist and ceased writing. When he started again, in 1958, he produced telegraphic, diaristic, mirroring poems intended for a highly intelligent and slightly mystical reader – in other words, me.
22
Clarity
In the sense of “transparence,”
I don’t mean that much can be explained.
Clarity in the sense of silence.
[That’s from “Of Being Numerous” (1968) – I opened to it at random.]
22
Clarity
In the sense of “transparence,”
I don’t mean that much can be explained.
Clarity in the sense of silence.
[That’s from “Of Being Numerous” (1968) – I opened to it at random.]
September 3, 2014
One of America's truly great poets -- up there with Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, and Hart Crane. I love this volume even more than I love the cover photo -- and I can't begin to tell you how much I love this cover photo!! (Such a sincere, exquisite man -- it's hard not to gush!)
December 25, 2021
I first heard of Oppen by listening to a PoemTalk podcast in which Al Filreis and guest read and talk about Oppen's poem "Ballad." This was a period in my life when I used to visit the PennSound website often and just listen to poetry readings. I went to Oppen's page and became obsessed by "Of Being Numerous." I purchased and read this collection a few years ago.
My reading life has changed a lot. A lot of this collection was unfamiliar, it felt a lot harder than I remember. The later poems being very opaque. Needing to sit with them for awhile, reading some over a couple of times. The 26 fragments at the end of this collection is something I'm very glad I have on my bookshelf.
Oppen is still probably my favorite poet. It feels like a very private thing to read. He loved small words. He loved being specific and clear in his writing. There is something elemental about it all. It feel vast and unadorned. Highly recommended.
My reading life has changed a lot. A lot of this collection was unfamiliar, it felt a lot harder than I remember. The later poems being very opaque. Needing to sit with them for awhile, reading some over a couple of times. The 26 fragments at the end of this collection is something I'm very glad I have on my bookshelf.
Oppen is still probably my favorite poet. It feels like a very private thing to read. He loved small words. He loved being specific and clear in his writing. There is something elemental about it all. It feel vast and unadorned. Highly recommended.
May 25, 2010
Wonderful poems. Once "Of Being Numerous" starts, the collection becomes steadier and takes a turn for the eloquent, that was unreached in his prior poems.
February 26, 2019
i wish there were more poems from his Discrete Series years in this collection. but ‘Of Being Numerous’ is one of the best poems ever written by an American, and the other work that’s included besides is a treasure
September 10, 2021
I have carried "Of Being Numerous" within me now since I properly started to read poetry some five years ago, and it's one of those things that will probably stick with me for a much longer time still.
Having finally gotten to reading this volume, I almost forgot that poetry and especially Oppen's sober poetry has to be written out loud. Only when you let each individual word reverberate in space, so it can embody its own world, only then does the genius of this poetry come out.
I must say that not all of the work in here spoke to me as "Of Being Numerous" did once I first encountered it, and also here I definitely lean more towards the longer pieces, still you feel this poetry can't be rushed and should be kept with for a longer time, letting them grow on you with time and repetition.
Having finally gotten to reading this volume, I almost forgot that poetry and especially Oppen's sober poetry has to be written out loud. Only when you let each individual word reverberate in space, so it can embody its own world, only then does the genius of this poetry come out.
I must say that not all of the work in here spoke to me as "Of Being Numerous" did once I first encountered it, and also here I definitely lean more towards the longer pieces, still you feel this poetry can't be rushed and should be kept with for a longer time, letting them grow on you with time and repetition.
Read
January 26, 2018Appreciation but not love. That’s how I feel about Oppen. I see the skill here. I see the intelligence, but I’m not drawn to the aesthetic. There’s something that happened in the 70s -- feminists went to the stripped down “tell it raw.” Guys like Oppen shied away from narrative. I miss narrative. The idea is that we will admire the intelligence that creates work that’s got the fewest pieces to hang meaning on. But I like structure, I suppose. I like to feel the intent behind a piece. Otherwise I don’t care much. But with that said, there were funny poems, smart poems. Just probably not poems I’d turn to.
May 13, 2010
"The distinctions of what one does / And what is done to him blurrs // Bodies dream selves / For themselves // From the substance / Of the cold // Yet we move / Are moving // Are we not // Do we hear the heavy moving / Of the past in barns"
an excerpt from, "Alpine"
an excerpt from, "Alpine"
July 16, 2015
I remain wholly enamored by the beauty and technical mastery of the objectivists, and Oppen is one of their finest practitioners. He does an amazing job building evocative images and metaphysical queries out of the simplest blocks of language.
December 3, 2022
from "Time of the Missile":
My love, my love,
We are endangered
Totally at last. Look
Anywhere to the sight's limit: space
Which is viviparous:
Place of the mind
And eye. Which can destroy us,
Re-arrange itself, assert
Its own stone chain reaction.
My love, my love,
We are endangered
Totally at last. Look
Anywhere to the sight's limit: space
Which is viviparous:
Place of the mind
And eye. Which can destroy us,
Re-arrange itself, assert
Its own stone chain reaction.
August 16, 2007
a modern genius of language. CRISP. BRILLANT. PERFECT.
i live by......
"There are things we live among, and to see them is to know ourselves."
Check out stephen cope's article in the back.
i live by......
"There are things we live among, and to see them is to know ourselves."
Check out stephen cope's article in the back.
March 19, 2009
So far it is a remarkable collection. Some of it I cannot yet make high or low of but when it hits home, it really hits home.
August 6, 2011
Stick to On Being Numerous.
June 13, 2012
keen on my part to actually finally get to Oppen, as "Of Being Numerous" quickly ascended position in my top three personal favorite poems list.
June 1, 2012
first poet I loved
July 18, 2014
Seemed a bit lacking in power and direction, but not without a few gems such as "Levithan" or "The Poem". Probably worth a read if you're into XX century poetry.
May 22, 2024
Beautiful, objectivist poetry. The Edge of the Ocean. Birthplace: New Rochelle. Neighbors. Fascinating to see the progression of a poet. He writes with subtlety.
Read
April 3, 2025"Find me / So that I will exist."
July 2, 2008
Oppen turns me on.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews