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Going Back to the River
Feminist verse displays a command of poetic technique and structure as well as a richly ripening vision
95 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 1990
About the author
Marilyn Hacker
112 books77 followersMarilyn Hacker is an American poet, translator, critic, and professor of English.
Her books of poetry include Presentation Piece (1974), which won the National Book Award, Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons (1986), and Going Back to the River (1990). In 2009, Hacker won the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for King of a Hundred Horsemen by Marie Étienne, which also garnered the first Robert Fagles Translation Prize from the National Poetry Series. In 2010, she received the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. She was shortlisted for the 2013 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for her translation of Tales of A Severed Head by Rachida Madani.
Her books of poetry include Presentation Piece (1974), which won the National Book Award, Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons (1986), and Going Back to the River (1990). In 2009, Hacker won the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for King of a Hundred Horsemen by Marie Étienne, which also garnered the first Robert Fagles Translation Prize from the National Poetry Series. In 2010, she received the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry. She was shortlisted for the 2013 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation for her translation of Tales of A Severed Head by Rachida Madani.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 27, 2020
These poems were so steeped in autobiography that it was difficult to relate to them. It wasn't like Marilyn Hacker was telling the reader the story of her life. It was more like she was writing a letter to a longtime friend who knew her backstory, and so she didn't need to explain.
November 1, 2014
I found this collection of poems quite accidentally while browsing the clearance at Half Price Books. Flipping it open, I found mention of a Boston marriage and instantly knew that I had to buy it, especially for only $1.99!
It's hard for me to rate this book, simply because the poems are rather diverse. Some I liked, some I loved, some I didn't like much, and some I skimmed through because they weren't speaking to me at all. There is a lot of talk about France, and I have never really identified with that country at all or found it charming or romantic (I seem to be in the minority here).
There are a few queer poems, and those I tended to enjoy more, although they are scattered throughout the collection.
Altogether, it was a worthwhile read to me, but this collection isn't going to find its way to my "recommended poetry" list.
It's hard for me to rate this book, simply because the poems are rather diverse. Some I liked, some I loved, some I didn't like much, and some I skimmed through because they weren't speaking to me at all. There is a lot of talk about France, and I have never really identified with that country at all or found it charming or romantic (I seem to be in the minority here).
There are a few queer poems, and those I tended to enjoy more, although they are scattered throughout the collection.
Altogether, it was a worthwhile read to me, but this collection isn't going to find its way to my "recommended poetry" list.
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January 27, 2017811.54 H118g 1990
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews