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The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: Poems for Men
An anthology of poems specially compiled for men brings together the poetry read at men's movement retreats and offers important commentary by the three leaders of the movement. $50,000 ad/promo.
536 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
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2377 people want to read
About the author
Robert Bly
284 books414 followersRobert Bly was an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.
Robert Bly was born in western Minnesota in 1926 to parents of Norwegian stock. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and spent two years there. After one year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard and thereby joined the famous group of writers who were undergraduates at that time, which included Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth Koch, John Ashbery, Harold Brodky, George Plimpton, and John Hawkes. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next few years in New York living, as they say, hand to mouth.
Beginning in 1954, he took two years at the University of Iowa at the Writers Workshop along with W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, and others. In 1956 he received a Fulbright grant to travel to Norway and translate Norwegian poetry into English. While there he found not only his relatives but the work of a number of major poets whose force was not present in the United States, among them Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Gunnar Ekelof, Georg Trakl and Harry Martinson. He determined then to start a literary magazine for poetry translation in the United States and so begin The Fifties and The Sixties and The Seventies, which introduced many of these poets to the writers of his generation, and published as well essays on American poets and insults to those deserving. During this time he lived on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and children.
In 1966 he co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War and led much of the opposition among writers to that war. When he won the National Book Award for The Light Around the Body, he contributed the prize money to the Resistance. During the 70s he published eleven books of poetry, essays, and translations, celebrating the power of myth, Indian ecstatic poetry, meditation, and storytelling. During the 80s he published Loving a Woman in Two Worlds, The Wingéd Life: Selected Poems and Prose of Thoreau,The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and A Little Book on the Human Shadow.
His work Iron John: A Book About Men is an international bestseller which has been translated into many languages. He frequently does workshops for men with James Hillman and others, and workshops for men and women with Marion Woodman. He and his wife Ruth, along with the storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, frequently conduct seminars on European fairy tales. In the early 90s, with James Hillman and Michael Meade, he edited The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, an anthology of poems from the men's work. Since then he has edited The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Selected Poems of William Stafford, and The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy, a collection of sacred poetry from many cultures.
Robert Bly was born in western Minnesota in 1926 to parents of Norwegian stock. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and spent two years there. After one year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard and thereby joined the famous group of writers who were undergraduates at that time, which included Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth Koch, John Ashbery, Harold Brodky, George Plimpton, and John Hawkes. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next few years in New York living, as they say, hand to mouth.
Beginning in 1954, he took two years at the University of Iowa at the Writers Workshop along with W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, and others. In 1956 he received a Fulbright grant to travel to Norway and translate Norwegian poetry into English. While there he found not only his relatives but the work of a number of major poets whose force was not present in the United States, among them Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Gunnar Ekelof, Georg Trakl and Harry Martinson. He determined then to start a literary magazine for poetry translation in the United States and so begin The Fifties and The Sixties and The Seventies, which introduced many of these poets to the writers of his generation, and published as well essays on American poets and insults to those deserving. During this time he lived on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and children.
In 1966 he co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War and led much of the opposition among writers to that war. When he won the National Book Award for The Light Around the Body, he contributed the prize money to the Resistance. During the 70s he published eleven books of poetry, essays, and translations, celebrating the power of myth, Indian ecstatic poetry, meditation, and storytelling. During the 80s he published Loving a Woman in Two Worlds, The Wingéd Life: Selected Poems and Prose of Thoreau,The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and A Little Book on the Human Shadow.
His work Iron John: A Book About Men is an international bestseller which has been translated into many languages. He frequently does workshops for men with James Hillman and others, and workshops for men and women with Marion Woodman. He and his wife Ruth, along with the storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, frequently conduct seminars on European fairy tales. In the early 90s, with James Hillman and Michael Meade, he edited The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, an anthology of poems from the men's work. Since then he has edited The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Selected Poems of William Stafford, and The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy, a collection of sacred poetry from many cultures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
November 17, 2007
This is one of my favorite all-time poetry anthologies. I picked it up at a discount bookstore in San Francisco, back when I was still a reader searching for the right books. And I swear, back when I was reading mostly fiction and memoir, and my depression was making nonsense of my writing, this book brought me back around to the redemption of poety, both as reader and writer, and I will be forever grateful.
Edited by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade, the anthology is divided into sections like "The Naive Male", "The House of Fathers and Titans" and "Mother and Great Mother", making a rather thorough compendium of the great stages of manhood (as I only imagine them to be). Each editor takes turn writing an introduction to the sections and poems of illumination, joy, and heartbreak follow.
This book benefits greatly from the decision to include female poets in here too. Sharon Olds, Anna Akhmatova and Nikki Giovanni, to name a few. Also poets of other backgrounds: Rumi, Li-Young Lee, Vallejo, Lorca, Etheridge Kinght, etc.
In all, it is a well-conceived, well-executed book. Uplifiting and satisfying, and something to turn to now and again.
Edited by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade, the anthology is divided into sections like "The Naive Male", "The House of Fathers and Titans" and "Mother and Great Mother", making a rather thorough compendium of the great stages of manhood (as I only imagine them to be). Each editor takes turn writing an introduction to the sections and poems of illumination, joy, and heartbreak follow.
This book benefits greatly from the decision to include female poets in here too. Sharon Olds, Anna Akhmatova and Nikki Giovanni, to name a few. Also poets of other backgrounds: Rumi, Li-Young Lee, Vallejo, Lorca, Etheridge Kinght, etc.
In all, it is a well-conceived, well-executed book. Uplifiting and satisfying, and something to turn to now and again.
November 29, 2012
Trying to get men to talk about feelings is like an old cliche about plasma and a rock.
You'll never crack it, but it's fun trying.
Poems from the ancient past right up to modern times, all about men and their total inability to understand what the hell is going on around them without causing wars, injuring women or losing their souls to dark forces beyond their control.
Robert Bly is leader of the American Men's Movement, a kind of friendly response to feminism which encourages them to get in touch with their "inner woman", yet retain a core of masculinity which provides the basis for nurture and growth.
His representative on this bit of the earth (UK) up until his passing last November was Jackie Leven, a big old Scotsman with an equally big heart, who came through a two year struggle with heroin to found the Core Trust, an addiction charity once supported by the late Princess Diana.
Leven's work quotes many of the poems from this anthology, and provides a tonic for those in need of a bit of comfort in trying times.
Sounds heavy, but there's a lot of funny stuff in there as well. One to dip into now and again, rather than live in all the time, as they say.
You'll never crack it, but it's fun trying.
Poems from the ancient past right up to modern times, all about men and their total inability to understand what the hell is going on around them without causing wars, injuring women or losing their souls to dark forces beyond their control.
Robert Bly is leader of the American Men's Movement, a kind of friendly response to feminism which encourages them to get in touch with their "inner woman", yet retain a core of masculinity which provides the basis for nurture and growth.
His representative on this bit of the earth (UK) up until his passing last November was Jackie Leven, a big old Scotsman with an equally big heart, who came through a two year struggle with heroin to found the Core Trust, an addiction charity once supported by the late Princess Diana.
Leven's work quotes many of the poems from this anthology, and provides a tonic for those in need of a bit of comfort in trying times.
Sounds heavy, but there's a lot of funny stuff in there as well. One to dip into now and again, rather than live in all the time, as they say.
November 14, 2014
If there’s a Women’s Spirituality Group, there has to be a Men’s Group, and our mytho-poetic leader gave us the anthology assembled by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade. In the Foreword they say, “By calling it “Poems for Men” we don’t mean that this collection is not to be read by women; we would rejoice if women read it.”
The poets include women, such as Emily Dickenson and Sharon Olds; the new as well as the old, Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas; the east, Rumi and Li Po; the ancient, Catullus and Hesiod; and everything else, an Ethiopian woman, Navajo and Eskimo. In fact, the book contains the widest variety of sources that one could imagine.
Many of the poems touched me, but I will quote from only one, “Saturn” by Sharon Olds:
“He lay on the couch night after night
mouth open, the darkness of the room
filling his mouth, and no one knew
my father was eating his children.”
My father never napped on the sofa, but I know exactly what she means. She has captured the way in which inattention and indifference can destroy a child. While many of the poems left me cold, some, like this one, had the magical combination of words that chrystalized an experience that I understood. Poems like these restore my faith in the special character of poetry.
The poets include women, such as Emily Dickenson and Sharon Olds; the new as well as the old, Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas; the east, Rumi and Li Po; the ancient, Catullus and Hesiod; and everything else, an Ethiopian woman, Navajo and Eskimo. In fact, the book contains the widest variety of sources that one could imagine.
Many of the poems touched me, but I will quote from only one, “Saturn” by Sharon Olds:
“He lay on the couch night after night
mouth open, the darkness of the room
filling his mouth, and no one knew
my father was eating his children.”
My father never napped on the sofa, but I know exactly what she means. She has captured the way in which inattention and indifference can destroy a child. While many of the poems left me cold, some, like this one, had the magical combination of words that chrystalized an experience that I understood. Poems like these restore my faith in the special character of poetry.
February 16, 2009
Beautiful book of poetry made by men for men. Ladies, don't let that scare you ... It's great and inspirational reading
March 26, 2025
We're men! Manly men! We're men in [verse]...YES!
The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, compiled by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade, is a 1992 anthology of poems exploring themes of masculinity, the inner lives of men, and the broader human condition. With works from poets spanning different eras and cultures, the collection delves deeply into the struggles, vulnerabilities, and transformative potential of masculinity. Inspired by a line from W.B. Yeats' The Circus Animals' Desertion, the anthology touches on themes like love (both familial and romantic), grief, longing, suffering, failure, emotional strength, reconnecting with nature, and archetypal myths.
Though the anthology is diverse, certain voices—like Neruda, Rumi, Rainer Maria Rilke, and occasionally Yeats—appear frequently. Published in 1992, it includes some dated editorial reflections on political matters like the Gulf War, which come across as quaint and largely irrelevant to the poetry itself.
Despite its ties to the "men's movement"—essentially a group of middle-aged men finding solace and introspection through verse (imagine Dead Poet's Society for the mid-life crisis crowd)—this anthology transcends its origins. With outstanding selections and thoughtful thematic organization, it's a rich collection that can be appreciated by all readers.
The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, compiled by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade, is a 1992 anthology of poems exploring themes of masculinity, the inner lives of men, and the broader human condition. With works from poets spanning different eras and cultures, the collection delves deeply into the struggles, vulnerabilities, and transformative potential of masculinity. Inspired by a line from W.B. Yeats' The Circus Animals' Desertion, the anthology touches on themes like love (both familial and romantic), grief, longing, suffering, failure, emotional strength, reconnecting with nature, and archetypal myths.
Though the anthology is diverse, certain voices—like Neruda, Rumi, Rainer Maria Rilke, and occasionally Yeats—appear frequently. Published in 1992, it includes some dated editorial reflections on political matters like the Gulf War, which come across as quaint and largely irrelevant to the poetry itself.
Despite its ties to the "men's movement"—essentially a group of middle-aged men finding solace and introspection through verse (imagine Dead Poet's Society for the mid-life crisis crowd)—this anthology transcends its origins. With outstanding selections and thoughtful thematic organization, it's a rich collection that can be appreciated by all readers.
May 6, 2022
I think it may be helpful to note that the subtitle to this book is “poems for men.” Therefore, I was obviously not the intended audience. And that was exceedingly clear while reading several poems that focused on breasts and testicles. However, I really enjoyed the vast majority of the rest of these poems! They are not “easy reads” though, so don’t expect to fly through this tome. I could only process a couple pages each night, the included pieces required a lot of thinking on my part. What I enjoyed the most about this anthology is that the poems included are not your average fare - many I had never heard before and I quite enjoyed that (minus the ones about breasts and testicles).
January 29, 2019
This is a book I like to give as a gift to friends who want to read poetry and aren't sure what to read. I'm a fan of Robert Bly's collections and the introductory notes he writes for his collections.
March 7, 2020
Poems dealing with masculinity.
Easy, accessible. This was assigned in a playful poetry class I took in the fall of 1997, after having already completed requirements for the major—I was in a dog-ear corner phase of my relationship to books, and this being a paperback, I cornered whatever I liked.
Apparently, I liked poetry that tried to be clever, and succeeded. They are like tiny science fiction stories—the world made real through a door painted in the surreal.
It hasn’t gotten any clearer to me, in the intervening years, what maleness, masculinity, or gender overall is supposed to mean to me, or to our culture in general. But I still find these poems funny, clever, fun. Lots of direct, concise, rhythmic pacing... easy imagery, poems that show and then just sit and explain themselves—because why not? Hard Images, attempts to shock, but a fair dash of whimsy.
I’ll keep this book and flip through it, and I’ll keep my dog-ears—but it isn’t what I really need from poetry. Henry and Mudge’s “Puddle Trouble”, particularly the Snow Glory chapter, are more my speed.
Easy, accessible. This was assigned in a playful poetry class I took in the fall of 1997, after having already completed requirements for the major—I was in a dog-ear corner phase of my relationship to books, and this being a paperback, I cornered whatever I liked.
Apparently, I liked poetry that tried to be clever, and succeeded. They are like tiny science fiction stories—the world made real through a door painted in the surreal.
It hasn’t gotten any clearer to me, in the intervening years, what maleness, masculinity, or gender overall is supposed to mean to me, or to our culture in general. But I still find these poems funny, clever, fun. Lots of direct, concise, rhythmic pacing... easy imagery, poems that show and then just sit and explain themselves—because why not? Hard Images, attempts to shock, but a fair dash of whimsy.
I’ll keep this book and flip through it, and I’ll keep my dog-ears—but it isn’t what I really need from poetry. Henry and Mudge’s “Puddle Trouble”, particularly the Snow Glory chapter, are more my speed.
April 27, 2022
Poem choices by men. Enjoyable!
November 18, 2025
A nice collection of down to earth, relatable poems
September 10, 2016
I bought this book at a Half Priced Books sale because I like the title and the Yeats poem it alludes to. I read each poem at least two times, then allowed myself to move on if the poem hadn't settled in or moved me. Reading this way reminded me that some poems just aren't for me and that's okay. When reading poems for my own enjoyment, I like to let some wash over me and not struggle needlessly. This way of reading makes the poems that moved me, that I penciled a heart in the margins of (so many in this book!) to resonate brighter.
August 21, 2010
Words are often inadequate to convey certain experiences in life, which is why we invented poetry to try to express what in life is often a feeling, a knowing, or an encounter with soul.
This is one of the greatest anthologies I have seen, it is a wonderful resource for anyone. And, if you happen to be looking for poetry specifically for a male in your life - then my suggestion is you give this a look first.
This is one of the greatest anthologies I have seen, it is a wonderful resource for anyone. And, if you happen to be looking for poetry specifically for a male in your life - then my suggestion is you give this a look first.
March 31, 2016
This is an incredibly amazing collection of poems that is used in the Mythopoetic movement of which I am a member. it contains some of my favorite poems. It is about mostly "crazy wisdom" and "radical creativity" and total liberation. It is in the Mithopoethic movement that I discovered the natural and organic tools and processes that have guided me in writing Missing Links.
Reading these poems may change your life. It sure changed mine!
Go for it!
Reading these poems may change your life. It sure changed mine!
Go for it!
July 28, 2009
Thematic poems, collected from sources old and new.
These poems speak toward aspiration and redemption, boldness and humour, loss and acceptance. An amazing work and a testimony to the value of poetry and the primacy of the spoken word. Read it aloud if you dare!
These poems speak toward aspiration and redemption, boldness and humour, loss and acceptance. An amazing work and a testimony to the value of poetry and the primacy of the spoken word. Read it aloud if you dare!
January 6, 2025
Read this book throughout my first 4 months of being in New York. I shared many little cries with myself on the subway with this one. It’s one of those “follow me for the rest of my life” kind of books.
May 18, 2018
I got this book because its title (The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart), like much of the rest of Yeats, is unbeatable. I didn't realize at the time that it had a subtitle; if I did realize it had this particular subtitle (Poems for Men), I wouldn't have bought it.
My negative intuition toward the subtitle proved correct. Lots of weird stuff in the introduction and introductory essays in the chapters about Men as this difficult to understand primordial being. Lots of stuff about "in our meetings with groups of men" (what on earth are these meetings like? what transpires in a group of men out to talk about Man Stuff while using poetry?). Then come the chapters which mix interesting and good, like eclectic collections which bring in lots of tribal and non-Western poems which most readers probably haven't experienced, and simply strange, like the "Earthly Love" section, whose unstated goal appears to have been to gather all the extant poems in any language which involve explicit reference to testicles.
The volume also fails to provide any biographical or even time period data for any of the poets it quotes, thereby failing as a source of useful introduction. It did, however, give me the following line: "men who talk to themselves hope to talk to God someday," and that was worth all of the frustrations. (Except-- wait-- who is this guy Antonio Machado? Now I'm upset again.)
My negative intuition toward the subtitle proved correct. Lots of weird stuff in the introduction and introductory essays in the chapters about Men as this difficult to understand primordial being. Lots of stuff about "in our meetings with groups of men" (what on earth are these meetings like? what transpires in a group of men out to talk about Man Stuff while using poetry?). Then come the chapters which mix interesting and good, like eclectic collections which bring in lots of tribal and non-Western poems which most readers probably haven't experienced, and simply strange, like the "Earthly Love" section, whose unstated goal appears to have been to gather all the extant poems in any language which involve explicit reference to testicles.
The volume also fails to provide any biographical or even time period data for any of the poets it quotes, thereby failing as a source of useful introduction. It did, however, give me the following line: "men who talk to themselves hope to talk to God someday," and that was worth all of the frustrations. (Except-- wait-- who is this guy Antonio Machado? Now I'm upset again.)
December 30, 2021
This is the poetry anthology that I have had the pleasure of reading. It is perhaps in that vain and in my cursory reading of the collected works that I did not get as much out of the writings as I would like to have. There were works and concepts that I very much felt a strong connection to, but overall I found myself reading poems one after another. This is not how the book is meant to be read. This book is meant to be read the way a food critique dining at a 5-star restaurant. Each bite is rolled around the tongue with every sense at peak engagement. I did not read this anthology this way, which is why I did not end up loving it. I am sure if I gave the works complete attention, then it would be as revealing and riveting of a work I have ever read.
With that said, I enjoyed the concept behind the anthology--a collection of poems and works for men in a culture that doesn't encourage men to partake in works such as poetry and visual art. With sections focusing on a myriad of problems men must navigate in life (war, approach to language, finding love in the community and work, etc.) and expressing them with new lighting through the collected poems.
With that said, I enjoyed the concept behind the anthology--a collection of poems and works for men in a culture that doesn't encourage men to partake in works such as poetry and visual art. With sections focusing on a myriad of problems men must navigate in life (war, approach to language, finding love in the community and work, etc.) and expressing them with new lighting through the collected poems.
April 21, 2024
I bought this book a number of years ago, when I had a specific interest in reading the work of Robert Bly. I've dipped in and out of it over those years, but never really got to grips with it as a whole. So, going on holiday for three weeks late last month I took it with me, and worked my way systematically through it.
It has excellent introductions to the various sections, some as poetic as the poems themselves. The poems are an exceptionally ecletic mix, focused in the main on the male life and spirit, but not wholly. And the poems aren't just written by men, either.
There's no easy way to sum up what's here, but a reading like I've just done shows that there are poems that verge on the incomprehensible, poems that hit you straight, poems with extremes of passion, and poems apparently simple until you come to the crux line. I knew some of the poems from past readings, but discovered more that I loved, and even more that haven't yet endeared themselves to me.
I may now go back to the 'dipping in and out of' approach, but at least I know that just over the page there are pieces that I need to get more to grips with, as well as ones that may remain elusive forever.
It has excellent introductions to the various sections, some as poetic as the poems themselves. The poems are an exceptionally ecletic mix, focused in the main on the male life and spirit, but not wholly. And the poems aren't just written by men, either.
There's no easy way to sum up what's here, but a reading like I've just done shows that there are poems that verge on the incomprehensible, poems that hit you straight, poems with extremes of passion, and poems apparently simple until you come to the crux line. I knew some of the poems from past readings, but discovered more that I loved, and even more that haven't yet endeared themselves to me.
I may now go back to the 'dipping in and out of' approach, but at least I know that just over the page there are pieces that I need to get more to grips with, as well as ones that may remain elusive forever.
June 2, 2021
I just came across a photo of Robert Bly on his farm in
2009 and thought about how important his poetry has been
to me over the years and his teaching as well. I was given an anthology Bly had Edited and a video back around 1990-92 or so. The book was titled "The Rag & Bone Shop of The Heart" and I recently purchased the hardback version of it because I love it so much. The video was a tape of a Bill Moyer's PBS special that featured Robert Bly and his work with the men's movement at the time.
It was called "A Gathering of Men" and in it Bly performs spoken word poems with music and lectures gatherings of men. The poetry is transcendent and beautiful and his reading of "The Wind One Brilliant Day" inspired me to perform it with my own band later on. There is a healing component to Bly's work, but not without digging around in the "mud" of everyday life and going through the grief that all of us face first. I always of Robert Bly as one of my Spiritual Fathers, a Poet who cares about Souls.
2009 and thought about how important his poetry has been
to me over the years and his teaching as well. I was given an anthology Bly had Edited and a video back around 1990-92 or so. The book was titled "The Rag & Bone Shop of The Heart" and I recently purchased the hardback version of it because I love it so much. The video was a tape of a Bill Moyer's PBS special that featured Robert Bly and his work with the men's movement at the time.
It was called "A Gathering of Men" and in it Bly performs spoken word poems with music and lectures gatherings of men. The poetry is transcendent and beautiful and his reading of "The Wind One Brilliant Day" inspired me to perform it with my own band later on. There is a healing component to Bly's work, but not without digging around in the "mud" of everyday life and going through the grief that all of us face first. I always of Robert Bly as one of my Spiritual Fathers, a Poet who cares about Souls.
April 3, 2023
A collection of poems by a well-rounded selection of poets. The subtitle states Poems for Men. It is clear what prompted the editors to assign such a masculine focus to the assemblage in some poems and in the segmentation by topic. Topics like Approach to Wildness, War, Making a Hole in Denial, Zaniness ( which includes a poem by Bob Dylan aka lyrics to Quinn the Eskimo) to share a few.
Editor Robert Bly prefaces each collection with often biting commentary, and it proves a good preparation for the poems that follow.
Men who are prone to poetry, manly or no, will find verse to spark them. Women, too, will find insight to expression that veers to men. Ultimately it is a collection worthy, no matter a gender.
As most poetry collections, the book is to be savored so it has taken over a year to read. Many penciled notes are now found, along with a few dog-eared pages. It is a book to retain, to visit again and again like a dear friend, so these literary sacrileges are forgiven.
Editor Robert Bly prefaces each collection with often biting commentary, and it proves a good preparation for the poems that follow.
Men who are prone to poetry, manly or no, will find verse to spark them. Women, too, will find insight to expression that veers to men. Ultimately it is a collection worthy, no matter a gender.
As most poetry collections, the book is to be savored so it has taken over a year to read. Many penciled notes are now found, along with a few dog-eared pages. It is a book to retain, to visit again and again like a dear friend, so these literary sacrileges are forgiven.
August 22, 2020
Painful.
About twenty-five years ago, a man named Robert Bly wrote a book titled Iron John: A Book About Men. Bly was a poet, and his view of manhood was...soft, I guess. Drumming circles, wilderness retreats, self-help circles with a lot of crying, sweat lodges, whatever. I read the book and thought, "No."
Jonesing for some poetry, I picked up this anthology and came to regret it very quickly. 10% of the poems are okay. 90% are awful. I never knew how much Federico Garcia Lorca sucked (but he's definitely tied with Ranier Maria Rilke). This was awful. I don't know what kind of manhood this poetry would inspire, but it's not my kind. I may actually burn this book.
About twenty-five years ago, a man named Robert Bly wrote a book titled Iron John: A Book About Men. Bly was a poet, and his view of manhood was...soft, I guess. Drumming circles, wilderness retreats, self-help circles with a lot of crying, sweat lodges, whatever. I read the book and thought, "No."
Jonesing for some poetry, I picked up this anthology and came to regret it very quickly. 10% of the poems are okay. 90% are awful. I never knew how much Federico Garcia Lorca sucked (but he's definitely tied with Ranier Maria Rilke). This was awful. I don't know what kind of manhood this poetry would inspire, but it's not my kind. I may actually burn this book.
June 6, 2022
Without making much of a system of it, I marked about half of the poems (perhaps slightly less than) as 'good' or worth re-reading. The whole project is a bit smothered in the editors' personalities. The essays opening each section are often drearily moralistic and didactic, and sometimes--as in the case of the segment on War--this attitude bleeds into the poetry selections themselves. Although the editors cast a wide net, bringing in indigenous chants, ancient aphorisms, song lyrics, and so on, after reading a couple hundred pages, you begin to get the idea. The latter half in particular feels weak, as if they frontloaded the thing to hook you as you flip through it in a bookstore. I almost fell asleep.
I found a couple of new poets (Kabir, Lorca) and enjoyed some old favorites (Rumi, Rilke).
And hated Yeats.
I found a couple of new poets (Kabir, Lorca) and enjoyed some old favorites (Rumi, Rilke).
And hated Yeats.
May 26, 2023
Lines like this:
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough
(to his child) i am here less for your protection than you are here for mine, as if you were sent to call me back into our helpless tribe
This is how he(man) grows: by being defeated, decisively, by constantly greater things
Eros is in the side roads that lead us astray
I will murder you with my love
The old janitor on his deathbed who demand to see the breasts of his wife for one last time is the greatest poet who ever lived
Poems like this:
Lamb by michael dennis browne
For brother what are we by thomas wolfe
Sometimes a man stands up during supper by rilke
What happened during the ice storm by heynen
Last gods by kinnell
The one who is at home by albanez
The thief by nowlan
Breasts by simic
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough
(to his child) i am here less for your protection than you are here for mine, as if you were sent to call me back into our helpless tribe
This is how he(man) grows: by being defeated, decisively, by constantly greater things
Eros is in the side roads that lead us astray
I will murder you with my love
The old janitor on his deathbed who demand to see the breasts of his wife for one last time is the greatest poet who ever lived
Poems like this:
Lamb by michael dennis browne
For brother what are we by thomas wolfe
Sometimes a man stands up during supper by rilke
What happened during the ice storm by heynen
Last gods by kinnell
The one who is at home by albanez
The thief by nowlan
Breasts by simic
May 6, 2024
Reading vacation book #3
I have owned this book for so long, I’m not sure what possessed me to buy a book of poetry for men when I was in college. Interesting, I enjoyed the poetry quite a bit but not sure how I felt about the male-oriented chapters. Do I think men could greatly be inspired and supported while reading poems? Sure. Do I think this book is necessary? Not particularly. Regardless it was nice to slowly work my way through it over many months and wrap it up during my reading vacay.
I have owned this book for so long, I’m not sure what possessed me to buy a book of poetry for men when I was in college. Interesting, I enjoyed the poetry quite a bit but not sure how I felt about the male-oriented chapters. Do I think men could greatly be inspired and supported while reading poems? Sure. Do I think this book is necessary? Not particularly. Regardless it was nice to slowly work my way through it over many months and wrap it up during my reading vacay.
June 18, 2019
I first read this volume in 1992/93 and return to it to this day. The selection of poems, organized under various sub-categories, were pure gold for me. Everyone won't see it the same - but for where I was on my personal journey at the time I first read it, and the way my life has unfolded since, the poems feed my soul. For men who want to begin reading poetry it is a good introduction; and for young males seeking to solidify their identity, the essays and poems are very helpful.
April 17, 2025
Picked up this book because Andrew Garfield recommended it in an interview and obviously I trust his opinions. Needless to say the guy has immaculate taste
Reading this poetry anthology felt like being embraced in a tight, warm hug and having all your sadness squeezed right out of you. Certain books just find you at the right time.
“beauty is twice
beauty
and what is good is doubly
good
when it is a matter of two socks
made of wool
in winter”
- Pablo Neruda
Reading this poetry anthology felt like being embraced in a tight, warm hug and having all your sadness squeezed right out of you. Certain books just find you at the right time.
“beauty is twice
beauty
and what is good is doubly
good
when it is a matter of two socks
made of wool
in winter”
- Pablo Neruda
May 23, 2025
One of the best poetry anthologies on my shelf! The editor trio is bonkers-good (Bly, Hillman, and Meade) and the curation is amazing. One of my favorite parts of the anthology is how segmented it is. Lots of small groupings. And each has its own mini introduction that gives such a potent contextualization for what they selected, why, and little samples of what's about to come. I'll be gifting this one for years and years.
February 22, 2023
This is the anthology that drew me fully into the world of poetry. Before this, I would read the occasional poem here and there, but these poems have a magic in them. The introductions to each section planted the seeds for the poetry to grow on me. Slowly but surely, I continue to find new favorites to dogear and new meanings in old favorites. This is a book I carry with me almost always.
September 19, 2018
I love this collection of great male poets.
None of these poems exclude women. The breadth and depth of the writing will never become old fashioned. I recommend this book to men and women. For spiritual seekers here lies a vast world of possibility, freedom and reconciliation.
None of these poems exclude women. The breadth and depth of the writing will never become old fashioned. I recommend this book to men and women. For spiritual seekers here lies a vast world of possibility, freedom and reconciliation.
November 7, 2018
Originally purchased for a poetry class (for good reason, as it's a perfect introductory book of poems with its charming thematic sections) and then brought along as companion through England. Now in the hands of a friend.
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