Soul Says: On Recent Poetry

Helen Vendler, a professor of English at Harvard, comments eloquently on modern American, Irish, and British poets in this collection of critical essays. Seamus Heaney, Allen Ginsberg, Rita Dove, Jorie Graham, Gary Snyder, and others are discussed in prose that rings with insight and clarity. A serious look at serious poets, this collection is thankfully never solemn or stuffy. In her essays, Vendler often provides helpful background information about the various poets she discusses, and this collection can stand as a valuable introduction to some very good writers. Best of all, she knows what she wants to say and she says it well.