Be Specific About Appertaining To Books Bosh and Flapdoodle
| Title | : | Bosh and Flapdoodle |
| Author | : | A.R. Ammons |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 159 pages |
| Published | : | March 28th 2005 by W. W. Norton & Company |
| Categories | : | Poetry |
A.R. Ammons
Hardcover | Pages: 159 pages Rating: 3.51 | 47 Users | 5 Reviews
Ilustration To Books Bosh and Flapdoodle
Ammons' final book, and very much an old man's book it is, at its best effortlessly conveying the melancholy that must accompany the latter stages of life. Witness passages such as:"...we never
thought we would live forever (although we did)
and now it looks like we won't"
(from "In View of the Fact")
Or the heartbreaking opening lines of "Between Each Song"
"I once would have said my sister Vida but now
I can just say my sister because the other
sister is gone: you didn't know Mona, lovely
and marvelous Mona"
But at other times it degenerates into complaints about the degeneration of the body, and while I understand that, too, must be a pressing concern for an older man (Ammons was only 70 when he wrote it, incidentally), I cannot say it's a subject I want to read poetry about.
Ammons is a master of the sudden switch from one subject to the next, sliding without warning, sometimes in the middle of a couplet or line, from the concrete to the profound or back again. The technique is effective at times, jarring at others, confusing or enlightening in turn.
There are at least half a dozen poems in this book that I know I will come back to many times over the years, including "Surprising Elements" and his final poem, "Way Down Upon the Woodsy Roads," both of which contain statements of his influences and philosophy:
The Ammons women (nine of them, my father's
sisters) were jovial women: well, I guess you
could say that: for them, the distance between
fun tears and tears was a flash of seconds
And:
Don't you think poetry should be succinct:
not now: I think it should be distinct: it
should wander off and lose its way back and
then bump into a sign and have to walk home
Describe Books Concering Bosh and Flapdoodle
| Original Title: | Bosh and Flapdoodle: Poems |
| ISBN: | 0393059529 (ISBN13: 9780393059526) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Appertaining To Books Bosh and Flapdoodle
Ratings: 3.51 From 47 Users | 5 ReviewsCriticize Appertaining To Books Bosh and Flapdoodle
Felt rushed and disjointed, even though it was a long time in editing. Not sure all the poems needed to be included, but it was good to read this as the last collection. The language is still entertaining and fun, but the subjects turn a little too much to grumpy old poet.Ammons' final book, and very much an old man's book it is, at its best effortlessly conveying the melancholy that must accompany the latter stages of life. Witness passages such as: "...we never thought we would live forever (although we did)and now it looks like we won't"(from "In View of the Fact")Or the heartbreaking opening lines of "Between Each Song""I once would have said my sister Vida but nowI can just say my sister because the othersister is gone: you didn't know Mona, lovelyand
They said today would be partly cloudy: I'dlike to see the other part
I am glad this book was published, and I had a chance to read it. A few of the poems don't really work for me, but I cannot put my finger on why.Some have said Ammons is being a grumpy old man here in his final volume. I don't think so. In fact, one of the strongest elements of the book is what is missing in most literature: humor. The poems do not serve as jokes, but any lover of language should be able to smile at the turns of phrase and subtle puns in so many of these poems. Further, Ammons
Only thing I read from A.R. Ammons, his last book of poems. Lots of clever lines and two word stanzas. Generally didn't do much for me.
Archie Randolph Ammons was born outside Whiteville, North Carolina, on February 18, 1926. He started writing poetry aboard a U. S. Navy destroyer escort in the South Pacific. After completing service in World War II, he attended Wake Forest University and the University of California at Berkeley.His honors included the Academy's Wallace Stevens Award, the Poetry Society of America's Robert Frost
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