NONFICTION

Divine Nothingness

by Gerald Stern
Norton. Nov. 2014. 80p. ISBN 9780393243505. $24.95. POETRY
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Soon to turn 90, Stern (In Beauty Bright) continues to rummage through his storehouse of memories, revisiting old haunts ("the meadow/ where the sidewalk suddenly became a river/ as one street rounded a bend and then another") and reliving small yet vivid experiences with a lyrical, improvisational verve that subverts suggestions of simple nostalgia. Notational and sinuous, the poems seem to be attempts to weave the random threads of life into a pattern that the writing process itself will reveal. Imagistic clarity alternates with emotional ambiguity as the poet records not just his memories but his quest to understand the forces behind their persistence ("it's all about the things/ I'm trying to find the word for").
VERDICT Stern knows that, energetic as they are, these poems are especially cryptic and personal ("There is only one other person who understands this,/ the rest will have to go by language alone"), and perhaps only his most dedicated fans and friends will absorb them fully. But they are well wrought, sharply edged, and proof that the desire to comprehend one's way in the world never diminishes.
Reviewed by Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY , Oct 15, 2014
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