No Other Book - by Randall Jarrell (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Randall Jarrell was only fifty-one at the time of his death, in 1965, yet he created a body of work that secured his position as one of the century's leading American men of letters. Although he saw himself chiefly as a poet, publishing a number of books of poetry, he also left behind a sparkling comic novel, four children's books, numerous translations, haunting letters, and four collections of essays. Edited by Brad Leithauser, No Other Bookdraws from these four essay collections, reminding us that Jarell the poet was also, in the words of Robert Lowell, "a critic of genius."

Review Quotes

"This volume is representative of his best work...Jarrell was not only a great critic of poetry, he was a great critic of criticism."--"The New York Times Book Review"[Jarrell's essays are] a phenomenon that flows, coruscates, sings and revitalizes."-- Brad Leithauser"He was a kind of conscience of poetry...His influence on the poetry of his time has yet to be fathomed: it worked through his own poems, his published criticism, his teaching, his involvement with the work of his friends. For many of us, if asked that old question: "To what or whom do you address your poems?" the truthful answer would be: "To the mind of Randall Jarrell."-- Adrienne Rich"One cannot overpraise this substantial volume. These essays stand among the finest writing about literature ever done in America."--"Washington Post Book World