The Poems of Stanley Kunitz, 1928-1978 by Stanley Kunitz
"The Poems of Stanley Kunitz, 1928-1978" is a significant anthology that showcases the evolution of Kunitz's poetic voice over five decades. This collection includes a comprehensive range of his works up to 1978, featuring sixteen new poems that mark a notable shift in his style, with some extending to impressive lengths compared to his earlier, more concise pieces. Among these, "The Layers" stands out as a reflective and poignant exploration of life, death, and the creative process, encapsulating the poet's contemplative spirit. The tone of the collection reveals Kunitz's growing introspection, as he grapples with themes of mortality and legacy. His later poems are characterized by a directness and emotional clarity, employing vivid imagery and succinct language to convey deep psychological insights. Recognized with the Lenore Marshall Prize, this anthology not only highlights Kunitz's technical prowess but also his journey as an artist, likened to a painter who embraces new mediums to enhance expression. Overall, the collection invites readers to engage with the complexities of human experience through Kunitz's unique perspective.
The Poems of Stanley Kunitz, 1928-1978 by Stanley Kunitz
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1979
Type of work: Poetry
The Work
This volume represents the most complete collection of Kunitz’s poems to the year 1978. Although only sixteen of the poems are new, this body represents a departure for Kunitz in that some of the new poems are much longer than any of his earlier ones. The last piece in the collection, “The Layers,” is a highly reflective poem that, more than any of his earlier verse, seems in tone to be the poet’s final message to the world. Like “Father and Son,” “The Layers” has about it a dreamlike quality. Unlike many of his other poems, it consists of a single long (forty-four-line) stanza. The author foresees his death, which may overtake him before he is finished with his work.
Recipient of the Lenore Marshall Prize for the best American poetry book of the year, this volume presents new poems that are forthright and unadorned in their language. They make their impact through terse lines and sharp images. In his later poems, Kunitz seems consciously to strive for psychological impact more than he did in his earlier work. He is quite like a painter who has moved from watercolors to acrylics and revels in the freedom the change allows.
Bibliography
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Hénault, Marie. Stanley Kunitz. Boston: Twayne, 1980.
Kunitz, Stanley. Interview by Caroline Sutton. Publishers Weekly 228 (December 20, 1985): 67-68.
Kunitz, Stanley. “An Interview with Stanley Kunitz.” Interview by Cynthia Davis. Contemporary Literature 15 (Winter, 1974): 1-14.
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Shaw, Robert B. “A Book of Changes.” The New York Times Book Review, July 22, 1979, 1, 20.