How To Read A Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry (Harvest Book)

Price: $18.95 - $9.99
(as of Jul 27, 2025 12:11:16 UTC – Details)


From the National Book Critics Circle Award–winning poet and critic: “A lovely book, full of joy and wisdom.” —The Baltimore Sun
How to Read a Poem is an unprecedented exploration of poetry, feeling, and human nature. In language at once acute and emotional, Edward Hirsch describes why poetry matters and how we can open up our imaginations so that its message can make a difference. In a marvelous reading of verse from around the world, including work by Pablo Neruda, Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, and Sylvia Plath, among many others, Hirsch discovers the true meaning of their words and ideas and brings their sublime message home into our hearts.
“Hirsch has gathered an eclectic group of poems from many times and places, with selections as varied as postwar Polish poetry, works by Keats and Christopher Smart, and lyrics from African American work songs . . . Hirsch suggests helpful strategies for understanding and appreciating each poem. The book is scholarly but very readable and incorporates interesting anecdotes from the lives of the poets.” —Library Journal
“The answer Hirsch gives to the question of how to read a poem is: Ecstatically.” —Boston Book Review
“Hirsch’s magnificent text is supported by an extensive glossary and superb international reading list.” —Booklist
“If you are pretty sure you don’t like poetry, this is the book that’s bound to change your mind.” —Charles Simic, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The World Doesn’t End
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004KZOWEQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 19, 2024
Edition ‏ : ‎ First
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5.9 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0547543727
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1210L
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
Best Sellers Rank: #3,352 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #1 in Poetry Literary Criticism (Books) #1 in Comparative Literature Literary Criticism #1 in Poetry Anthologies (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 260 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });