The Best of the Best American Poetry

1988 1997

Edited By: Harold Bloom and David Lehman

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This special edition celebrates twenty-five years of the Best American Poetry series, which has become an institution. From its inception in 1988, it has been hotly debated, keenly monitored, ardently advocated (or denounced), and obsessively scrutinized. Each volume consists of seventy-five poems chosen by a major American poet acting as guest editor—from John Ashbery in 1988 to Mark Doty in 2012, with stops along the way for such poets as Charles Simic, A. R. Ammons, Louise Glück, Adrienne Rich, Billy Collins, Heather McHugh, and Kevin Young. Out of the 1,875 poems that have appeared in The Best American Poetry, here are 100 that Robert Pinsky, the distinguished poet and man of letters, has chosen for this milestone edition.

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Book details:

Scribner |
384 pages |
ISBN 9781439106068 |
April 1998

$11.99 List Price

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Praise

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“The strength of [The Best of the Best American Poetry] is its sense of subjectivity, the way these poems illustrate their editor’s aesthetic, and in so doing, tell us something of how poetry operates in the world…These... ”

– David Ulin, Los Angeles Times

“The Best of the Best American Poetry collects 100 splendid works by American poets from a quarter-century of the Best American Poetry series.”

– Colette Bancroft, Monterey County Herald

“A concentrated, high-caliber, and exhilarating overview of the intensity and artistry that have made American poetry so splendidly varied and vital…This is an anthology of broad scope, serious pleasure, and invaluable... ”

– Donna Seaman, Booklist

“This indispensable volume, with its rich mix of voices, forms and techniques, serves as a melting pot of contemporary American verse.”

– Julie Hale, BookPage

“It takes special chutzpah and perspective to pick the poems that deserve to make the best cut twice--and Pinsky’s fine collection proves that he’s got the chops to do it…His selection is so rich and diverse one... ”

– Bruce Jacobs, Shelf Awareness

“[A] survey of the past quarter-century of American verse…No doubt, some readers will discover new favorites here.”

– Publishers Weekly

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Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

JONATHAN AARON

Dance Mania

In 1027, not far from Bernburg,

eighteen peasants were seized

by a common delusion.

Holding hands, they circled for hours

in a churchyard, haunted by visions,

spirits whose names they called in terror or welcome,

until an angry priest cast a spell on them

for disrupting his Christmas service,

and they sank into the frozen earth

up to their knees. In 1227

on a road to Darmstadt, scores of children

danced and jumped in a shared delirium.

Some saw devils, others the Savior...