Eating the Honey of Words - by Robert Bly (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Bly's imaginative prose poems radiate witty delight." -- Library Journal

A brilliant collection spanning half a century, from one of America's most powerful poets.

Robert Bly had many roles in his illustrious career. He was a chronicler and mentor of young poets, was a leader of the antiwar movement, founded the men's movement, and wrote the bestselling book Iron John, which brought the men's movement to the attention of the world. Throughout these activities, Bly continued to deepen his own poetry, a vigorous voice in a period of more academic wordsmiths. Here he has presented his favorite poems of the last decades-timeless classics from Silence in the Snowy Fields, The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and Loving a Woman in Two Worlds. A complete section of marvelous new poems rounds out this collection, which offers a chance to reread, in a fresh setting, a lifetime of work dedicated to fresh perspectives.

What has made Robert Bly one of the most essential voices in modern poetry?

• Deep Image Poetry: Pioneering work that dives below the surface of the everyday, finding startling, surreal connections in the quiet landscapes of the American Midwest.
• Mythopoetic Voice: The powerful explorations of myth, masculinity, and the inner life that would lay the groundwork for the groundbreaking bestseller Iron John.
• Anti-War Conscience: Fierce, vital poems that confronted the Vietnam War, cementing his role as a leading voice of political protest and moral clarity.
• A Lifetime of Work: A career-spanning selection curated by the poet himself, including timeless classics and a section of powerful new poems.

From the Back Cover

A Brilliant Collection Spanning Half A Century, From One Of America's Most Prominent And Powerful Poets

Robert Bly has had many roles in his illustrious career. He is a chronicler and mentor of young poets, was a leader of the antiwar movement, founded the men's movement, and wrote the bestselling book Iron John, which brought the men's movement to the attention of the world. Throughout these activities, Bly has continued to deepen his own poetry, a vigorous voice in a period of more academic wordsmiths. Here he presents his favorite poems of the last decades-timeless classics from Silence in the Snowy Fields, The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and Loving a Woman in Two Worlds. A complete section of marelous new poems rounds out this collection, which offers a chance to reread, in a fresh setting, a lifetime of work dedicated to fresh perspectives. It is a brilliant collection that confirms Bly's role as one of America's preeminent poets writing today.

Review Quotes

"[A] delightfully diverse collection." - New Age

"Bly, like other giants of poetic activism . . . has not been content to merely live his times. He has actively challenged them, and his muse, far from abandoning him, has stood steadfastly . . . at his side." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

"It's impossible to move through this rich and varied collection without continual amazement at the many ways Bly has fulfilled his promise of faithfulness to spiritual and psychological depth in his poetry. In his half-century of abundance, Bly has proven one of our hardest-working poets, and the bundle of poems brilliantly assembled here constitute the vital core of his work." - Dragonsmoke