Sparrow

by Carol Muske-Dukes

Sparrow, a luminous new volume of poetry by acclaimed poet, novelist, and critic Carol Muske-Dukes, draws the reader into a mesmerizing world of love and loss. In the wake of personal tragedy, the death of her husband, Muske-Dukes asks herself the questions that undergird all of art, all of elegy. “What is the difference between love and grief?” she asks in a poem, finding no answer beyond the image of the sparrow, flitting from Catullus to the contemporary lyric.

Beyond autobiographical narrative, these are stripped-down, passionate meditations on the aligned arts of poetry and acting, the marriage of two artists and their transformative powers of expression and experience. Muske-Dukes has once again shown herself to be, in this profound elegiac collection, one of today’s finest living poets.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Carol Muske-Dukes (born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1945) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and professor, and the former poet laureate of California (2008–2011). Her most recent book of poetry, Sparrow (Random House, 2003), chronicling the love and loss of Muske-Dukes’ late husband, actor David Dukes, was a National Book Award finalist.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

She is a great poet, technically. It's all there.

But for me, there's nothing compelling. These poems feel "easy" (easy for her to right, easy for me to read and move on). I don't want to stay with them, or think about them.

Technically, everything is "good," per se. But nothing (not imagery, language, form)is "great." Not even once in the book does something stand out.

But, what do I know? She is very successful and apparently very popular. Just not my cup of tea. She's more like tap water.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm unsure whether i rate this a 3- or 4-star book. Strangely, 3.5 stars seems decidedly incorrect.

I rarely thrilled to the language or style but maybe about half the time i enjoyed the ideas.

I prejudged this writer as someone whose style and ideas i would dislike so the latter surprised me. My prejudice was based entirely on how many of her books were available via hoopla, which is where i borrowed ebooks during the time that all local lieberries was closed. I assumed Muske-Dukes was merely skilled at writing for the general public. (and i, on the other hand, whereas i have refined taste)

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems feel unpredictable as grief, itself. Some just harrowing, some less so. A slender volume, musically tight. Different than a something like Bang's Elegy which is so in the head. This voice, while equally crafted, is much more raw.

[Carol Bachofner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this wonderful collection with Donald Hall's The Painted Bed.

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, Muske-Dukes writes well, but many of these poems left me flat, being so full of personal or private references that I felt I had no way in. Being an elegy for her late husband, an actor, a lot of these pieces are about the selves we choose to show/depict/let come forward, and that holds for writers as well, so the premise is interesting and deeper than a simple set of elegiac poetry. On the flip side, and perhaps this was part of the point, I never felt like I could "see" or "hear" her "real" husband, get to know the man. You can feel the pain in these poems, but I never felt I could stand inside it most of the time. Reading this made me feel like watching a stranger crying next to me on a city bus - pained, but still distant. The ones that moved me, however, really resonated: "Passport: A Manifesto", "The Call", "Butterfly", "Love Song" (my favorite), and "Queen of Tragedy".

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my summer poetry writing class, we're required to attend a poetry reading. I'm going to one with Carol Muske-Dukes and Jane Mead, so read some of their work in preparation. This collection is beautifully written and I love what it says about the relationship between love and grief.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intelligent with a necessary philosophy or search for a philosophy of grief.

[Mills College Library]

811.54 M9878sp 2003