Blizzard of One: Pulitzer Prize Winner

by Mark Strand

Book Overview

Strand's poems occupy a place that exists between abstraction and the sensuous particulars of experience. It is a place created by a voice that moves with unerring ease between the commonplace and the sublime. The poems are filled with "the weather of leavetaking," but they are also unexpectedly funny. The erasure of self and the depredations of time are seen as sources of sorrow, but also as grounds for celebration. This is one of the difficult truths...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375701370
• ISBN13: 9780375701375
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.9" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Praise for Blizzard of One

Blizzard of One is an enjoyable collection of poems. Mark Strand writes about daily life which makes his poetry relatable to everyone. Although simple, Strand's poems can be interpreted many different ways. A witty tone underlies his beliefs about life and death. I highly recommend Blizzard of One.

Graceful, Gorgeous Work

Mark Strand works at a level that is so far above my abilities that I find myself chuckling and shaking my head at his books. As I read this, my wife kept asking if it was funny stuff. I said, no, that it was just so good it was continually surprising. Reading Strand is like walking alone though the greatest museum, where each painting is a masterpiece and speaks directly to you. I can't begin to say how good this book is.

Simply Astounding

Mark Strand is an incredibly talented poet--but, then, everyone already knows that...so let's focus on what people don't know--why they should by this book! This is one of the greatest small collections of poetry I have ever seen...We used it for my EH-306 Lyric Poetry class at Stetson University, and today, as I write this, Mark Strand is giving a reading/Q & A session here...If you don't believe me, do a "look-inside" on the book...you can read one or two of his poems and judge for yourself...hope this helps.

The "Blizzard" of Strand in Poetry.

I am among the few who are lucky enough to have Mark Strand as a Professor. That's the first reason why I bought this book--to learn more about him as a poet as well as getting my feet wet in the pool of poetry. The poems in this book open my mind to a different way of looking at poetry. It also offers me a better understanding of the man who presents lectures at my school every Monday afternoon. It is without a doubt that Professor Strand deserved the Pulitzer Prize in 1999. The poems in this book are profoundly simple yet so complex. They offer so many ways of interpretations, and I don't think even the Professor can say that there is one absolute way to interpret his poems. He has once told me while I walked him to his car that: "Poetry is the celebration of language, and only through the language can one discover its meaning." Well, that's how one should read Mark Strand's poetry--indulge one's self in that peculiar world of languages. I encourage you to read on the other works of Mark Strand because they are the essence of the 20th century poetry. In this selection, "Old Man Leaves Party" is my favorite. Hopefully, you too can find the one poem that mystifies you in this selection. Enjoy!

The "Blizzard" of Strand in Poetry

I am among the many who are lucky enough to have Mark Strand as a Professor. That's the first reason why I bought this book--to learn more about him as a poet as well as getting my feet wet in the pool of poetry. The poems in this book open my mind to a different way of looking at poetry. It also offers me a better understanding of the humble man who presents lectures at my school every Monday afternoon. It is without a doubt that Mark Strand deserved the Pulitzer Prize in 1999. The poems in this book are profoundly simple yet so complex. They offer so many ways of interpretations, and I don't think even Strand can say that there is one absolute way to interpret his poems. He has once told me while I walked him to his car that: "Poetry is the celebration of language, and only through the language can one discover its meaning." Well, that's how one should read Mark Strand's poetry--indulge one's self in that peculiar world of languages. I encourage you to read on the other works of Mark Strand because they are the essence of the 20th century poetry. In this selection, "Old Man Leaves Party" is my favorite. Hopefully, you too can find the one poem that mystifies you in this selection. Enjoy!