Two Poetry Reviews

The Dead and the Living by Sharon Olds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was my first of Sharon Olds. I picked it because I read an article where she was listed among the great modern confessional poets. I've recently found myself influenced by Plath and I wanted to learn more about the genre she helped make famous. These poems are intensely personal and a lot of them seem to center around the father figure. All in all I thought this was a good collection and it definitely gives me an idea of her work. I checked this out from the library but I think that when I cane I will add some of her work to my personal collection.



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What the Living Do: Poems by Marie Howe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Second book of modern confessional poems. I liked these much better than Sharon Olds. I can't explain exactly why but it spoke more to me. I'm not even sure what I mean by that but I feel more satisfied after reading these than I did Ms. Olds yesterday.

I'm definitely looking into more of Ms. Lowe's poems.



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I came across these authors on a HupPages article about confessional poets. I have lately found my own poems been influenced by the confessional style especially Plath's work. Her Daddy poem really resonated with me.

I like Marie Howe's book better though the content was similar but sort of not. Both women have distinctive voices but I responded more to Howe's book.