The Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay

Reminds me of the bell jar for some reason, but it very much has a more deep and poetic feel to it. Love it.

Her shorter pieces are much better than her longer ones. Many of the sonnets are quite good. She may be unlucky or unhappy in love, but she is wry about it and not the least bit maudlin or self-indulgent. The poems about the unbearable beauties of nature strike me as overwrought and do not work at all. Her shortest bits sting the page. As an example, this two lines, the "Second Fig" from her collection A Few Figs From Thistles, describes quite neatly those whose ability to see facts are limited by their wishing them not so. She writes: Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand: Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!

Millay is one of those poets who can convey her passions succinctly. with detail, but a passionate brevity. a woman's perspective on love, friends, eternity, and humanity that can be read by any gender. The editor, however, mistakenly describes Millay's wellknown poem "Renescence" as a poem "about being buried alive". ridicuously misinterpreting Millay's theme of rebirth and reincarnation. I own this book and am happy to have the comfort of Millay's poetry.

i will review this as a subset of her collected poems. millay was extremely talented, and had a resurgence in 2001 , she has a memorial stamp from 1981. she is one of the best poets of american literature, this will be an excellent addition to your library, and an exciting opportunity to rediscover a very talented lady often neglected , i am comparing her sonnets to shakespeares, since they are so well done

This book is a good introduction to the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay presenting many of her most memorable poems. It is not a comprehensive presentation of her writing (for example, some of her more erotic poems are not present) but it is not meant to be. The introduction is good and provides the highlights of her life and career. I would like to have had a chronology of her life and a list of her complete works in this book. Overall, this volume satisfied my curiosity but I would want a good biography to accompany this book in order to know more about St. Vincent Millay.I must also comment on the book itself. My copy has many pages that were cut at an angle with the result that when they were bound the text becomes the margin! The end papers were also effected so the design is set on a slight angle, the edge of which comes close to being cut off. It was unsettling for me to find this book in this condition. I did not return it because I did not care to go to the expense (considering the price of the book) of packaging the book to send back.

Edna St.Vincent Millay writes poetry of passion and power. If you don't buy the book at least check it out from the library and experience her poems. The way she talks about travel and love and nature is the way that my subconscious thinks of these subjects. She's great and this book is a good sampling of her poems.