By the Numbers

by James Richardson

Faces are motion, which is why all the photos of you are bad. Even the most natural-looking portrait is a sentence interrupted, one note of an aria, held. Though faces themselves hide a deeper motion. You seem to sit there and meet my eyes across the table, but you are so many other places, clinging here for a moment against all the currents that will soon sweep you onward. We are so moved by the faces caught in the windows of trains going the other way because they tell us how all faces really are.

James Richardson is the author of six books of poetry and two critical studies. His poems appear frequently in The New Yorker, Slate, and Paris Review. He is a professor of English and creative writing at Princeton University.

Genres: Poetry

111 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

This is the disambiguation page for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as James Richardson.

Reviews

[Lucas Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased this collection for the collection of 170 aphorisms it contains. I was going through an aphorism phase. Like the poems, which I would describe as aphoristic, the entire collection is filled with humor, but never reaches the point of trying to make jokes. What often feels about to veer into territory that is hokey cuts off and redirects the readers attention to small, sad moments in the midst of a brightly colored world.

I particularly enjoyed the longer poem (Are We Alone?) that collects and comments on snippets of popular science articles to great affect. The early cluster of poems based primarily around classical allusion were fresh and unusual. Recommended.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection of poems and aphorisms by Richardson. Terrific meldings of language and science and the everyday, this is a collection I can pick up and enjoy often. My favorite part was Section II - Vectors 3.0: Even More Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays which is a collection of 170 observations (for lack of a better word.)

[Haley · Rating 1 out of 5]

something so repulsive about a middle aged man sitting down at a computer and contently writing out the word “breasts”

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have *loved* every James Richardson book that I have read in the past and this one started out so strongly that I thought it would continue the trend. The first section of the book is brilliant, in my opinion - moving and thoughtful. And then came the aphorisms.

In the past, I have really enjoyed Richardson's aphorisms but this time around, they didn't hit the same high notes for me. Often, they came across as old-man-yelling-at-clouds kind of thoughts. Occasionally offensive and rarely deep, they just didn't seem nearly as interesting or entertaining as they have been in the past.

That continued for me in the last third of the book. It focuses more on aging, on loss and what is lost as we age and begin to forget. It is a topic that makes for fine poetry but a lot of the verse here seems devoid of emotion. There were a lot of attempts at humor which fell a bit flat for me and maybe that is where I didn't manage to connect with the work.

I will say that it is probably due another read but I am a bit saddened to have to say that I was so disappointed with this volume of poems.

[James Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm attracted to contemporary poetry with a classical feel to it and for that reason am attracted to James Richardson's work. He doesn't stray far from the classical. His subjects are Shakespeare, the Greek gods observed in bars, Zeus giving a press conference, the Georgic style given a modern twist. His brilliance is best shown in a long section of aphorisms and what he calls Ten-Second Essays where his wit and intelligence pop in the mind to fill it with fireworks. Sometimes his poems dart about like dragonflies but they carry ideas with the density of iridium. Standing here with Richardson you can see how the modern world connects with the ancient, like that fabled snake eating its own tail.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truthfully, I didn't love this. What can I say. I realize it was a finalist for the National Book Award and that his Selected Poems was a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award a few years back. I even liked some of the poems very much in the book, but an equal number of the poems (or more) seemed gimicky and smart (not in good way), were of marginal interest and accomplishment, and altogether held no common denominator or structure as far as I could tell, which is what a book of poems I want to read should do. National Book Award Finalist. Really? With that said, I only read the thing through once. This year, I made a promise to read everything twice through and see if I just wasn't in an anti-Richardson mood that day. I'll let you know...

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

"that little bird, pretty calm there in the snow, is cold, but it
must be a discontinuous and lightly registered sensation. cold,
peck peck, what's that? oh yeah, cold. whereas i would be
desperate in a few minutes thinking about freezing forever and ever.
somewhere in evolution we traded endurance for foresight.
intelligence was the first of all the ability to worry"

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was a finalist for the National Book Award this past year. I don't always care for poems based on mythology, but enjoyed these, particularly "Echo." Later on I giggled over "Songs for Senility," definitely my favorite!

[Denise]

poetry

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean . . . I would have said 5 stars no matter what, but I honestly think this book is incredible.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richardson is most recognizable for his lean aphorisms, but his poetry is equally good--and very accessible for folks who don't read a lot of poetry. I'm going to search out more of his stuff.

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unusual collection of poetry that was a finalist for the National Book Award.

[Colorado Review]

Reveiwed for Colorado Review by Evan McGarvey

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than the aphorisms, there were many great poems here.

[Juggleandhope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the aphrorisms.