I waited a long time before I decided to publish this review of 100 Sonnets. Honestly, I really hate to write negative reviews. But I felt like it was an honor issue. The poet sent the book expecting a review. He put out an expense in doing so – in giving away a free copy and in mailing costs. The least I could do was to give my honest opinion.
Some publications will not publish negative reviews. I, however, believe that negative reviews serve a worthwhile purpose. For one thing, an insightful poet can read the review and learn a thing or two – not necessarily the poet being reviewed, but any poet reading the review. If anything, a good negative review (I’m not saying my reviews are any good) can cast some light on the subject of poetics and lead readers to a deeper understanding of the issues that poets have to deal with when crafting their poems. And if that leads to better poetry being written overall then I say bring on the negative reviews in droves.
Still, I’d much rather write positive reviews. Even middle-of-the-road reviews.
Why I Offer To Write Book Reviews
I initially offered to write poetry book reviews because I wanted to share insights into poetic philosophy with my readers. I believe there isn’t enough honest discussion about poetics, particularly among independent poets who publish their own work. I thought, when I started reviewing books, that most of my reviews would end up being of independently published authors, and I was right. I was hoping they’d end up being better poets. But one doesn’t always get what one asks for.
Occasionally, however, I do find that rare gem of a poetry book that I love to tell people about. And that’s why I write reviews.
For instance, Jeff Rath’s The Waiting Room at the End of the World is one such book, though it isn’t a book of sonnets nor is it self published. Patrick Carrington’s Thirst is another book (actually, a chapbook) of non-sonnets I can recommend.
As for books of sonnets, The Poets Don’t Write Sonnets Anymore by Robin Ridington is an excellent book I don’t mind recommending, not so much for the poetry, but for the commentary that goes along with it.
I wouldn’t exactly call Ridington’s sonnets “sucky”. But they don’t make me kick my heels together either. Nevertheless, I loved reading the commentary/memoir mixed with thoughts on a myriad of topics important to Ridington that encompassed the poems. I think Ridington did well in putting together his book of sonnets and prose lead-ins. It’s a great book if not great poetry.
One Sonneteer I’d Recommend For The Poems
Truth be told, the sonnet is not exactly my favorite form. I’ve never been really good at writing them myself. That may be because I just haven’t taken the time to honestly practice the form. There are other forms I’ve done well with because of the practice. But the sonnet isn’t one of them.
Still, I love reading a good sonnet when I find one. And one person who writes sonnets that I think are just golden is a poet by the name of Barry Ballard.
Barry Ballard’s Green Tombs To Jupiter is an amazing collection of Petrarchan sonnets written in blank verse. They cover a wide range of topics, but they remind me of the metaphysical poets, only they deal with subject matter from the late 20th century, subjects that John Donne would not have imagined.
I used to read with Barry in Fort Worth, Texas when I lived down there. His delivery is as astounding as his pen and that’s another reason I’d recommend his poetry. I don’t know why his book sells for $173.91 at Amazon. That must be a typo, but it is definitely worth a read if you can get it for less.
If you’re going to write sonnets, it helps to read a few from classical and contemporary poets who write them well. Barry Ballard should be on your reading list.
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Hey Allen, the publiher has it for $6; http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/0967527317/green-tombs-to-jupiter.aspx
But I have a question – what makes them Petrarchan if they’re in blank verse, since Petrarchan is the rhyme scheme? Strict turns between 8th and 9th lines? Unrequited love as the theme? Even if I’m being a pedantic asshole, I’d appreciate enlightenment.
Mike, you are correct. Not pedantic at all. The Petrarchan rhyme scheme involves a strict rhyming sequence while blank verse isn’t rhymed at all. Amazon’s editorial review section for this book describes it as blank verse, though Barry himself, as I recall, describes his poetry as following the Petrarchan scheme. If I remember correctly, his poems are largely blank verse. Alas, I meant to double check that fact before publishing the post and forgot; now I can’t find my copy of Barry’s book to do so (it’s been a few years since I read it and I wonder why Barry hasn’t published another book in the mean time) – Doh, I hate when that happens.
As for the unrequited love theme, Postmodern poetry tends to follow different rules. Poets tend to follow rhyme schemes and forget about theme applications. For the purist, that can pose a real problem. But for those of us who are more into breaking the rules than following them, it’s just a minor inconvenience to think that a poem should adhere to strict guidelines all the way through posterity. Geez, that’s a long-ass time!
At any rate, thanks for the $6 tip.