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THE CATBIRD'S SONG

PROSE PIECES 1969-1995

A poet's amble in prose through poetry and other byways of language and art. Wilbur, who published a previous volume of prose pieces, Responses, in 1976, calls this sequel ``a mixture or jumble of efforts in various . . . modes.'' But it is more and better than that. He magnetizes subjects of literary and personal interest (e.g., Edgar Allen Poe; the craft of translation) that combine eventually to suggest an intellectual self-portrait. For example, consider his opinionated yet revealing comment on cinema in ``Movies and Dreams'': ``Watching film is (for me, for most) so much less judicial and analytic than other art experiences. The conventions are transparent, the molding of the imagination is insidious.'' Although basically conservative and somewhat patrician in taste, Wilbur can turn this tendency into a means of stimulation with his precision of mind and language—even if you happen to disagree with him. In one essay, for instance, he does his best to raise the standing of often-derided poet and patron Witter Bynner. He is alert and fair, announcing in ``Forewords'': ``I hope that a persistence or resurgence of metrical writing, and of artifice in general, will now restore some lost force and expressive capability in American poetry.'' Nevertheless, he also recognizes that ``no form belongs inevitably with any theme or attitude; no form is good or appropriate in itself, but any form can be made good by able hands.'' The book includes surprises, notably Wilbur's lecture about riddles, given in 1988 at the Library of Congress. Here he surveys types and scrutinizes examples of riddles with a playful earnestness, arguing in favor of their acceptance as ``a poetic form.'' Wilbur's clarity and his rationalness—his lack of romantic sympathies—will strengthen his appeal for some. A smart, cleanly written, yet not especially adventurous harvest.

Pub Date: April 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-15-200254-1

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1997

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

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