POETRY

Against Silence: Poems

by Frank Bidart
Farrar. Sept. 2021. 80p. ISBN 9780374603519. $25. POETRY
COPY ISBN
Dylan Thomas famously wrote “Old age should burn and rave at close of day,” advice expertly followed by Bidart, now 82, in this new (after the Pulitzer Prize–winning Half Light), smoldering collection of forthright lyric poems. In the book’s longest poem, “The Fifth Hour of the Night,” a bitter, unshakeable memory of childhood acquiescence in the face of a grandmother’s racism (“I never forgave her for showing me/ me”), engenders not only deep feelings of anger, guilt, and regret, but a wider pessimism toward the human condition (“At the bottom of existence, contradictory necessary/ demands/ unsolvable, a dilemma”) and the power of language to embody truth (“Words—there is a gap, nonetheless always/ and forever, between words and the world—”).
VERDICT Though sometimes uncomfortable to read, Bidart’s unleavened expressions of disillusionment, despair, and futility in the face of age (“the gnarled old hand / that one day you look down and see/ one day to see as yours”) are acts of resistance against the inevitability of death. Their blunt force may escape younger poetry lovers but will resonate poignantly with older generations of readers.
Reviewed by Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY , Aug 13, 2021
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

MEDIA

Root Fractures: Poems
by Nguyen, Diana Khoi
NONFICTION

Tiny Extravaganzas
by Mehta, Diane
MEDIA

How To Be a Good Savage and Other Poems
by Sánchez, Mikeas
MEDIA

Besaydoo: Poems
by Kamara, Yalie Saweda
NONFICTION

A Year of Last Things: Poems
by Ondaatje, Michael
NONFICTION

Host
by Coutley, Lisa Fay
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?