Carver's anthology of poems, with its ethnic scent and permanent sense of guilt, is almost as forceful as his prose fiction.

However, it is impossible not to feel that between these lines, we discover something overly naked, overly exposed, overly fragile, but above all, painful.

"We are new arrivals to these small pleasures." This line seems to suggest a sense of naivete and inexperience in the face of life's simple joys.

"Forgive me (I pray the Court) that we have been improvident." The plea for forgiveness implies a sense of regret and a recognition of past mistakes.

"Today, my heart, like the front door, stands open for the first time in months." This final line is particularly poignant, suggesting a breakthrough in the poet's emotional state, a newfound openness and vulnerability.

Overall, Carver's poetry in this anthology offers a raw and honest exploration of the human condition, filled with pain, regret, and the hope of new beginnings.

While Carver is widely recognized and best known for his remarkable fiction, it is important to note that he also penned a significant amount of poetry throughout his lifetime. This particular book serves as a comprehensive compilation, gathering together all of his poems. It includes several works that were not previously included in his published collections, offering readers a unique and more complete perspective on his poetic output.

Similar to his stories, Carver's poems delve into the themes of domestic life, exploring the complex and often tumultuous relationships that exist within the home. He also frequently touches on the subjects of alcohol and rivers, using them as powerful symbols to convey deeper emotions and ideas.

The collection provides a fascinating glimpse into Carver's growth as a poet, especially in the later years of his life. During this time, he experienced a newfound sense of love and happiness, which is beautifully reflected in his work. However, he was also simultaneously engaged in a battle against the cancer that would ultimately claim his life. This duality of emotions and experiences adds an extra layer of depth and poignancy to his poetry, making it all the more engaging and thought-provoking.

Bagni di sole che diventano bagni di luce


I read the entire book with the spirit of a bather: enjoying words and images through my eyelashes, with half-closed and blessed eyes. I thought my literary ego was satisfied, but then I read the afterword by Carver's wife. Well: I had to read it all over again with wide-open eyes. And it was a continuous drip of light. I don't know if I can find my way among the stars, but by constantly staring at so much luminosity, now I see a dot impressed on everything. And if it's not the shape of a celestial body, it very much resembles it.

I was initially content with my first reading, thinking I had grasped the essence. But that afterword was like a key that unlocked a new dimension. It made me realize that there was so much more to discover within the pages. As I reread, I found myself drawn deeper into the story, noticing details I had previously overlooked. The words seemed to shine brighter, as if they were illuminated from within. It was a transformative experience, one that made me see the book in a whole new light. And that dot, that small mark on everything, it serves as a reminder of the profound impact this rereading had on me. It's a symbol of the newfound understanding and the beauty that lies within the simplest of things.

“And did you get what

you wanted from this life, even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the earth.”

This short exchange of words holds a profound truth about the essence of our desires in life. We often strive for various material possessions, achievements, and accolades, but at the core, what truly matters is the sense of being loved and cherished.

To be able to call oneself beloved is a powerful affirmation of self-worth and acceptance. It means that we have found love within ourselves and are able to extend that love to others.

Feeling beloved on this earth gives us a sense of belonging and purpose. It makes us feel connected to something greater than ourselves and gives us the strength to face life's challenges.

In a world that can often seem cold and unforgiving, the simple act of feeling loved can make all the difference. It is a reminder that we are not alone and that there is always someone or something out there that cares for us.

So, as we go about our daily lives, let us not forget the importance of love and connection. Let us strive to call ourselves beloved and to feel beloved on this earth, for it is in this simple yet profound desire that we find true happiness and fulfillment.

This collection of poetry truly transcends the boundaries of time and space.

It serves as an invitation for readers to embark on a poignant journey that deeply resonates with the human experience.

Each individual poem within this collection is a profound meditation. It is an exploration into the ephemeral nature of life and the inescapable inevitability of death.

The author masterfully weaves together themes of impermanence, transience, and the cyclical nature of existence.

With haunting beauty and raw honesty, the essence of mortality is captured, leaving readers with a sense of both awe and reflection.

This collection is not just a set of poems; it is a powerful exploration of the human condition and a reminder of the fragility and beauty of life.

It has the ability to touch the hearts and souls of readers, making them contemplate their own lives and the meaning of it all.

Whether read in solitude or shared with others, this collection of poetry is sure to leave a lasting impression.

I had it in my hands about 4 years ago, I think. And I didn't take it away. Today it has sat with me on the sofa, and I have talked with Ray as two colleagues talk. Because that's the feeling it transmits.

It is passionate, tough, moving, destabilizing and historical. A compositive technique carefully and lovingly crafted to the tiniest comma.

Fantastic. Strong. Great. It's not just an object or a thing, but something that holds so much value and significance. It has the power to evoke emotions and memories that I will cherish forever. The time I spent with it today was truly special, and it made me realize how much I have missed it over the years. I'm glad it's back in my life, even if just for a short while.

Raymond Carver is widely known for his remarkable contributions to the world of short fiction. However, there is so much more to this talented author than meets the eye.

Carver's work extends beyond the boundaries of the short story. His writing style is characterized by its simplicity and directness, which allows readers to easily connect with the characters and their experiences.

Moreover, his exploration of themes such as love, loss, and the human condition is both profound and thought-provoking. In addition to his short stories, Carver also wrote poetry, which further showcases his literary prowess.

His poems are often as concise and powerful as his short fiction, capturing the essence of a moment or emotion in just a few lines. Overall, Raymond Carver's body of work is a testament to his creativity and talent as a writer.

I'm not done with this book just yet. However, I already know without the slightest doubt that it deserves a perfect score. In fact, I'm even breaking my own rule, which is against rating a book before I've completed it. My linear sensibility usually finds such a practice rather distasteful. But I guess it makes sense that it's a book of poetry that has managed to draw me away from the careful mental boundaries and boxes that I construct for myself.

Here's a little sample of Carver's absolute gorgeousness. This poem, which is included in this volume, has long been a very dear favorite of mine. It's actually what initially led me to seek out this book in the first place. How on earth can life be captured in such a succinct, accurate, and heartbreaking way?

Late Fragment

And did you get what

you wanted from this life, even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the earth.

"And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did."

This short exchange poses a profound question about the essence of life and our desires. The idea of obtaining what one wants in life is a universal pursuit. It makes us reflect on our own aspirations and whether we have achieved them.

"And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth."

The answer reveals a simple yet powerful longing. The desire to be loved and to feel a sense of belonging is fundamental to the human experience. It is about finding that connection with others and knowing that we are cherished. This late fragment by Raymond Carver encapsulates the beauty and simplicity of this longing. It reminds us that sometimes, the most precious things in life are the intangible ones, like love and the feeling of being beloved.

E has obtained what
you wanted from this life, after all?
Yes.
And what is it that you wanted?
To be able to say beloved, to feel
loved on earth.

This is a collection of modern and original poems, both in form (sometimes similar to prose, sometimes free from rhetorical figures and pompous words) and in content or the way it is presented.

The themes are multiple: it ranges from love to detachment, from pleasure to contempt, from lightness to rancor; all this to discover the soul of Carver, an author not easy to love, to understand.

But when one discovers it completely and lets oneself go to the rhythm, the spontaneity and the truthfulness of his words, to the emotions he feels and transmits to the reader, one cannot but appreciate it and also leave a piece of us in this book.

23/2020. Book 12 of the "Era of Confinement". This was the last book I read during the time I spent at home. It had been a long time since I read poetry, and it was a wise choice to return to it with this book. Because I would have even wanted to read his shopping list from it.

Carver was one of the best short story authors of the 20th century, and it is mainly through this genre that we know him. However, throughout his career, he also wrote poetry, and in this book, all of his poems are brought together: those published during his lifetime, the posthumous ones, and some unpublished ones. And they are published in a carefully edited bilingual edition (which I think is essential), with a prologue by the writer Tess Gallagher, Carver's widow, in which she talks about the author as a poet, but also as a person.

His poetry has many similarities to his short stories. That ability to describe the mundane, to capture an ordinary moment and make it transcendent. But there is no doubt that in the poems, we find his most personal and intimate writing, all those texts full of regret, of the struggle and victory against alcoholism, of his family and life before becoming a writer, the love for his second wife. And, the one that has been the most emotional for me, that of his last months, when, being ill, he had become aware of his imminent death, the same one that he had managed to avoid 10 years before by leaving alcohol behind and that he describes in his poem 'Tip'.

It is difficult to choose among the more than 300 poems in the book, but if someone has the opportunity to read any, please, go to 'The Ashtray', 'Our First House in Sacramento', 'Ask Him', 'My Death' or 'Dear'.

What a great reunion with poetry mine has been. Thank you for everything, Raymond.

Carver's life was a journey that took him from despair to happiness and finally to acceptance. This progression is vividly captured in his poems and short stories. With his unique style of understatement and grace, he was able to convey complex emotions even when dealing with the most tumultuous of subject matters. His writing, though seemingly taut, crackled with emotion, even when buried within the plainest of happenings and feelings. Most of his work, including the poems in this anthology, was written in his 40s, the last decade of his life. Many of these poems were penned with the knowledge of his impending death from brain cancer, which claimed his life in 1988 at the age of 50. His late start and early end can be attributed to alcoholism, which nearly took his life a decade earlier. However, it was the conquering of alcoholism that gave him the strength and perspective to write his best works.

Memory and death are recurring themes in his poems, but so are unsentimental declarations of love, happiness, and a sense of astonishment at his good fortune in being alive. Tess Gallagher, his wife and a poet herself, wrote that his poems "give themselves as easily and unselfconsciously as breath." The language in his poems is deceptively simple, but it packs an emotional punch. As Carver himself said, it is possible to write about commonplace things and endow them with immense power. This is the kind of poetry you'll find in this collection, which is organized around the four seasons. Despite the clichéd symbolism associated with them, this structure is fitting for a poet who had a graceful way of linking human experience to the natural world.

In his writings, we find a gentle acceptance of the transience of all things, including human life. Death is as natural as breathing, and it is often the awareness of its pending arrival that fills Carver with gratitude and happiness for the gifts of life. His attention to ephemerality makes him, in my view, the literary equivalent of the great Japanese film director Yasujiro Ozu. Ozu's films, many of which are named after seasons, exemplify the Japanese philosophy of Mono no Aware. I can't help but imagine Carver's poems with similar titles. In describing a line from Chekhov, one of his literary heroes, Carver might as well have been describing his own writing. As Tess Gallagher says, these poems have an extraordinary sensibility that remains approachable and even companionable. Just like good friends or favorite songs, we return to them again and again, and I hope this anthology of Carver's poems will be one that you'll keep coming back to in the years to come.