An Atlas of the Difficult World: Poems 1988-1991

by Adrienne Rich

Book Overview

In this, her thirteenth book of verse, the author of The Dream of a Common Language and Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law writes of war, oppression, the future, death, mystery, love and the magic of poetry.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393308316
• ISBN13: 9780393308310
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

"it will be short, it will not be simple"

Adrienne Rich, one of America's best contemporary poets, focuses on the best and worst in humanity in "An Atlas of the Difficult World." This 60-page volume, presents her unique perspective on multiple subjects including the working conditions of migrant workers, the horrors of the Holocaust, and murder on the Appalachian Trail. Many of these poems, inspired by actual events, are briefly explained in the "Notes" section. As an atlas is a collection of maps and illustrations about a particular place or subject, "Atlas" is a collection of poems that illustrate the heroism of the small and powerless as well as the brutality of humanity against itself. Divided into two sections, the first reflects the restlessness of Americans. The poems move between Vermont and California and places in between (11). These are also meditations on the extremes in human personality. Consider the brief glimpse of domestic violence on page 4 contrasted with the heroism of a young Irish immigrant, who became an inspirational teacher (15). Rich's poems reflect the constant movement of humanity from one place to another, for one reason or another. In the second section, other poems extend the theme of arrival or departure by chance or by choice. Read the collection of poems in "Eastern War Time" and notice how Rich uses the words of a telegram to great effect (36-37). To pick one representative poem from this book above all the others belies the importance of the whole. Yet, Rich's last poem in "Atlas," "Final Notations," encompasses the overall theme of the book as well as her poetry: "it will be short, it will not be simple" (pg. 57, line 4). Read Rich's poetry with this line in mind and you will realize the profound depths and intricacies of her poetry.

American Poetry Lovers Must-read

An Atlas of the Difficult World is a must-read for Adrienne Rich fans or anyone interested in contemporary American poetry. This volume is surprisingly short (only 60 pages long), but the material seems rather dense (in my opinion). This volume of poetry is broken into two sections. The first section is the longer poem "An Atlas of the Difficult World" that is broken into thirteen parts. The second section is comprised of twelve shorter poems. A couple of works in section II titled "Eastern War Time" and "Through Corralitos under Rolls of Cloud" are broken into smaller parts. This volume of poetry deals with political issues such as war, the establishment of a female identity, and difficult subjects such as abuse, murder, and anti-Semitism. There are a few poems in this collection that definitely stand out for me. "Eastern War Time" parts 1-6 show young Jewish girls trying to find out who they are in the midst of WWII: "what's an American girl / in wartime...ignorantly Jewish / trying to grasp the world / through books" (lines 2-3, 6-8). Another touching poem in this collection is "Tattered Kaddish," which embodies the bitter irony of singing praises to life when so many are suffering: "Praise to life though it crumbled in like a tunnel / on ones we knew and loved" (lines 6-7). Part one of "An Atlas of the Difficult World" contains a short stanza that captures a horrific scene of abuse. Yet the speaker wishes to turn a deaf ear ("I don't want to hear") to such "devastation." This selection left me with an image I find hard to forget. For anyone who does not take poetry seriously, this collection will not be worth the time. Although many of the poems seem to have a clear message, I feel that some of the works require the reader's attention, devotion, and close reading to fully appreciate the messages Rich is divulging. True American poetry aficionados will value this great volume of poetry.

"There are roads to take."

I have revisited this book many times since it was published ten years ago. In her 13-poem collection, Rich turns her penetrating poet's gaze to "the difficult world"--malathion strawberries (p. 3), missiles in the desert (p. 5), silence (p. 10), car graveyards (p. 11), waste (p. 11), Wounded Knee, Los Alamos, Selma (p. 12), death on the Appalachian Trail (p. 14), and loneliness (p. 19). These are not "feel-good" poems, and the title poem is stronger than others. "These are not the roads you know me by," she writes in her Whitman-like title poem, "but the woman driving, walking, watching from life and death is the same" (p. 5). As these poems reveal, Rich writes with stunning honesty from her heart, soul, and the marrow of her bones (p. 51).G. Merritt

The signal work of an important American poet

I'm surprised no substantial reviews of *Atlas* have been posted, as anyone who has read it knows that Rich's survey of American life during the Gulf War era (in the title poem) is an unforgettable document of our time. Rich is known as a feminist writer and radical critic, and that impression scares off undergraduates for whom feminism is too loaded a term. This book, especially the title poem, "Eastern War Time," and "Tattered Kaddish," shows that Rich's feminist insight does not limit her attention--or relevance--to women subjects and readers. Many lines from "An Atlas of the Difficult World" stay with me, but from its final section, I'll give this as an example of how Rich strives to find in her readers equal partners, sharing her task of representing all of American life:I know you are reading this poem which is not in your language guessing at some words while others keep you reading and I want to know which words they are... I know you are reading this poem because there is nothing else left to read there where you have landed, stripped as you are. Rich sees her readers as stripped of innocence, of the ability to make casual assumptions about their lives in America and the world. But these poems offer the gift of understanding our current state, and of a beautiful, surprisingly generous description of us all.

Very touching...

It is a touching example of poetry expressing life's struggles. Anyone can relate to Rich's amazing words and thoughts. Please give this book a try!