Description
In the pivotal poem "Marking Time," which appears almost exactly halfway through Peter Filkins's fourth collection of poetry, the speaker reflects on the death of a sibling and how time is marked by our memories. These memories, these moments-whether spent contemplating a painting by Vermeer or the simple toss of a bean bag-ultimately shape who we are. "Yet you are with me here, with me here again, / where neither that moon nor you exist, but live / tethered to this memory composed of words." These are poems unafraid to be graceful and engaging. They attain an assurance and stability rare in contemporary poetry, while their careful balance of sadness and joy reminds the reader of the difficult negotiations we make in life.
Peter Filkins's beautifully articulated, reticulated poems are filled with questions, and the questions they're filled with are the unanswerable ones. Their distinction and power lie in their ability to make us ask those questions, too, as if for the first time. -- Vijay Seshadri As one who hailed Peter Filkins's stunning first book, I am happy to say that its great promise has been realized with The View We're Granted. -- Richard Wilbur Peter Filkins manages to use form to lure the colloquial toward song, as well as to invest moments of song with an awareness of the perils and possibilities of our everyday world. It's a tension that is revelatory, and one that claims, at the end, the power of poetry to survive, and to help us. -- Lawrence Raab A deeply moving collection. Filkins traces out the rhythms of loss and renewal, of childhood and adulthood, in a blank verse so skillfully worked it seems effortless. Very few poets today write with such power and assurance. -- John Koethe His subtle art touches the pulse of both sorrow and praise. -- Rosanna Warren
About the Author
Peter Filkins is a poet who teaches writing and literature at Bard College at Simon's Rock. He is the author of What She Knew and After Homer as well as the chapbook Augustine's Vision. He has also translated the poetry and novels of Ingeborg Bachmann and the novels of H. G. Adler.
Reviews
This graceful, skilled poet writes especially moving poems. -- Grace Cavalieri Washington Independent Review of Books
Awards
Joint winner of Sheila Motton Book Award 2013 (United States).
Book Information
ISBN 9781421406329
Author Peter Filkins
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 113g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 6mm
Peter Filkins's beautifully articulated, reticulated poems are filled with questions, and the questions they're filled with are the unanswerable ones. Their distinction and power lie in their ability to make us ask those questions, too, as if for the first time. -- Vijay Seshadri As one who hailed Peter Filkins's stunning first book, I am happy to say that its great promise has been realized with The View We're Granted. -- Richard Wilbur Peter Filkins manages to use form to lure the colloquial toward song, as well as to invest moments of song with an awareness of the perils and possibilities of our everyday world. It's a tension that is revelatory, and one that claims, at the end, the power of poetry to survive, and to help us. -- Lawrence Raab A deeply moving collection. Filkins traces out the rhythms of loss and renewal, of childhood and adulthood, in a blank verse so skillfully worked it seems effortless. Very few poets today write with such power and assurance. -- John Koethe His subtle art touches the pulse of both sorrow and praise. -- Rosanna Warren
About the Author
Peter Filkins is a poet who teaches writing and literature at Bard College at Simon's Rock. He is the author of What She Knew and After Homer as well as the chapbook Augustine's Vision. He has also translated the poetry and novels of Ingeborg Bachmann and the novels of H. G. Adler.
Reviews
This graceful, skilled poet writes especially moving poems. -- Grace Cavalieri Washington Independent Review of Books
Awards
Joint winner of Sheila Motton Book Award 2013 (United States).
Book Information
ISBN 9781421406329
Author Peter Filkins
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 113g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 6mm
