Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems

by Mary Oliver

Book Overview

"On the subject of writing poetry, Oliver is the most enlightened and enlightening author I have read." -Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award comes Winter Hours, Mary Oliver's most personal book yet. And never more so than in this extraordinary and engaging gathering of nine essays, accompanied by a brief selection of new prose poems and poems.

With the grace and precision that have won her legions of admirers, Oliver talks here of turtle eggs and housebuilding, of her surprise at an unexpected whistling she hears, of the "thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else." She talks of her own poems and of some of her favorite poets: Poe, writing of "our inescapable destiny," Frost and his ability to convey at once that "everything is all right, and everything is not all right," the "unmistakably joyful" Hopkins, and Whitman, seeking through his poetry "the replication of a miracle." And Oliver offers us a glimpse as well of her "private and natural self--something that must in the future be taken into consideration by any who would claim to know me."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395850878
• ISBN13: 9780395850879
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

great read

This is a great read. I had just heard of Mary's work and ordered quite few of her books. They are all wonderful. She has such a wonderful way to look at nature and the world in general.

Pulls You In

I was given this book and have found it comfortably engaging, gently surprising and satisfying complete--like a bowl of gourmet soup. A stunning display of the writers craft, an eye that dotes on nature's details and a mind that deftly connects reader to subject. A joy.

a look into the world of Mary Oliver

In this slim volume three different styles of her writing are displayed beautifully."The Swan" will impress you."Building the house" will show you the process of building in poetic terms. Any Oliver fan needs this book!