Long Life: Essays and Other Writings

The gift of Oliver's poetry is that she communicates the beauty she finds in the world and makes it unforgettable ( Miami Herald ). This has never been truer than in Long Life, a luminous collection of seventeen essays and ten poems. With the grace and precision that are the hallmarks of her work, Oliver shows us how writing is a way of offering praise to the world and suggests we see her poems as little alleluias. Whether describing a goosefish stranded at low tide, the feeling of being baptized by the mist from a whale's blowhole, or the connection between soul and landscape, Oliver invites readers to find themselves and their experiences at the center of her world. In Long Life she also speaks of poets and writers: Wordsworth's whirlwind of beauty and strangeness; Hawthorne's sweet-tempered side; and Emerson's belief that a man's inclination, once awakened to it, would be to turn all the heavy sails of his life to a moral purpose. With consummate craftsmanship, Mary Oliver has created a breathtaking volume sure to add to her reputation as one of our very best poets (New York Times Book Review ).

Author: Mary Oliver
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 03/02/2005
Pages: 120
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780306814129

About the Author
Mary Oliver is the author of twenty books, including The Leaf and the Cloud and What Do We Know. Her many accolades include the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. She lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.