Behind My Eyes

by Li-Young Lee

Book Overview

A highly anticipated collection from one of the most powerful voices at work in America today. Combining sensitivity and eloquence with a broad appeal, Li-Young Lee walks in the footsteps of Stanley Kunitz and Billy Collins as one of the United States's most beloved poets. Playful, erotic, at times mysterious, his work describes the immanent value of everyday experience. Straightforward language and simple narratives become gateways to the most powerful...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393334813
• ISBN13: 9780393334814
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 108 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

thoughtful and profound

I first heard the author reading his poetry on the radio and decided to buy the book. The book includes a CD of his readings and I still enjoy hearing him read it more than reading it myself. Many of his poems I don't understand but I pick up more as I go back to them and read them again.

Memory and Imagination

There are very beautiful poems in this collection. I have always admired Li-Young Lee's early work, and I see how he has grown here. He has always been a champion of the power of memory within; he continues exploring this theme, interfacing it with his very nimble imagination. I taught several of these poems to my students and they described the work as "soft", "naked" and "grasping", which I think is a lovely characterization of his work. The breadth of his imagination is extraordinary, and makes these poems works that can be read over and over, and still be deeply satisfying. I found the CD to be excellent, as the intimacy of his voice extends the intimacy of the poems. A great tool for teachers of poetry; Lee reads his work serenely, and with quiet and inviting emotion.