Cornhuskers

by Carl Sandburg

Book Overview

Cornhuskers by Carl Sandburg is a collection of classic rural American poetry. "I was born on the prairie and the milk of its wheat, the red of its clover, the eyes of its women, gave me a song and a slogan.Here the water went down, the icebergs slid with gravel, the gaps and the valleys hissed, and the black loam came, and the yellow sandy loam."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1514303493
• ISBN13: 9781514303498
• Release Date: June 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Collection Of Contrasts

Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878 - July 22, 1967) in 1919 was one of the second recipients of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry for his collection "Cornhuskers". The collection is divided into several sections including: "Cornhuskers"; "Persons Half Known"; "Leather Leggings"; "Haunts"; and "Shenandoah". Each of the sections has its own feel to it and the poems range from the long "Prairie" and "The Four Brothers" which bookend the entire collection, to the very short, such as "Cartoon". The subject or the poems also contrasts, though one would expect that in most collections. Lastly, time itself has added an additional contrast to the collection which I will discuss later. "Cornhuskers" includes poems about life on the great plains of the United States. It opens with the masterful 11-page "Prairie", which is unlike any other poem in the section and only is approached in terms of scope by "The Four Brothers" which closes the collection. The poems in this section often deal with nature and history and the feel of life in the rural plains areas. "Person's Half Known" includes poems about people of some renown, though who they are is not always readily apparent. "Chicago Poet" is about himself, "Fire-Logs" is about Nancy Hanks, the mother of Abraham Lincoln, and other people he writes about include the likes of Inez Milholland, Adelaide Crapsey, and others, and one can enjoy a trip through history in learning about the subjects of these poems. "Leather Leggings" is an unusual section as it seems to have more to do with the activities of people, though some of the poems don't necessarily fit that loose definition. The poems deal with a very wide variety of professions, activities, and the products of those labors. As an example, "Clocks" deals with a variety of time-pieces and how they are used in different ways and "Flat Lands" deals with those in the real estate profession. "Haunts" deals with those feelings and memories which one remembers throughout their life. Here there are poems remembering a love, a special time, one's lost childhood, music, faith, and much more. The last section is "Shenandoah", which contains poems about war, and for whatever reason this section feels even more timeless than the rest of the book. Perhaps that is because this world so seldom knows real peace that one can easily identify with the feelings and images which these poems bring to mind. This a tremendous collection of poems, which are filled with history, feelings, images, and so much more. It has but one weakness, and that is a word which has become so hateful that it pains the reader to run across it at any time, and certainly when reading such wonderful poetry. It appears fewer than 10 times in the book, and yet each time it does it gives one pause. It makes one wish for a new edition to remove it or change it, but at the same time one would never want to lose or change such art. Thus all one can do is to reflect on the mistakes of our past

A triumph by one of Whitman's great heirs

"Cornhuskers," a volume of poetry by Carl Sandburg, was first published in 1918. This book demonstrates a poetic style and subject matter that are very much like that of 19th century giant Walt Whitman; is fact, Whitman is even mentioned in one of the poems in this book (specifically, "Interior").Sandburg writes in a direct, vernacular language. He demonstrates an appreciation of the lands, people, and animals of the United States. He pays particular attention to working class life, industrialization, and ethnic diversity. A series of poems deal with American wars from the Revolutionary War to World War I. Throughout, Sandburg's voice is at times ironic, mystical, ecstatic, and/or tender.There are a number of particularly memorable selections in "Cornhuskers." I loved "Wilderness," which begins "There is a wolf in me." "Prayers of Steel" uses remarkable erotic language to explore the use of steel in America's development. Another impressive poem is "Alix," about a champion racing mare.Sandburg writes, "I speak of new cities and new people." In "Cornhuskers," he created one of the first great poetic testaments of the 20th century.