Product Description

A marvelous collection containing classic poems and stories by Delmore Schwartz, one of America's most beloved writers. Delmore Schwartz (1913-1966) was one of the finest writers of his generation. Winner of the prestigious Bollingen prize and the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Memorial Award, he was hailed by John Ashbery as "one of the major twentieth-century poets." Schwartz's stories were also widely read and loved, admired by James Atlas for their "unique style that enabled Schwartz to depict his characters with a sort of childlike verisimilitude." Graced with an introduction by Cynthia Ozick, this New Directions Bibelot, Screeno: Stories and Poems, gathers many of Schwartz's most popular stories and poems, including: "Screeno," "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities," "America, America!" and "The Heavy Bear who Goes with Me." Also included is a newly discovered story, "The Heights of Joy," which appeared in the magazine Boulevard in 2002.

Delmore Schwartz's life is legendary; yet it is his work that endures: "What complicates and enriches Schwartz's comedy," says Irving Howe, "is, I think, a reaching out toward nobility, a shy aspiring spirituality, a moment or two of achieved purity of feeling."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #730234 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
Enough evidence to sell a new generation on an old hero. This is exactly what paperbacks are for. -- Nancy Szokan, Washington Post Book Review, 20 June 2004

[A] powerful selection....The juxtaposition of his poetry alongside his prose provides an energetic introduction. -- American Poet, Spring 2005

About the Author
Delmore Schwartz, winner of many awards, wrote in various genres. He was a frequent contributor to literary publications and a lecturer at such universities as Harvard and Princeton.

Customer Reviews

Heavy bears and dreams
Sometimes with the legend, we forget how great the work is. This brings together many of Schwartz's brightest works. The introduction by Cynthia Ozick, reminds that Delmore worked under Alfred North Whitehead, and Whitehead's "Witness of the body" shows up in Schwartz's poem "The Heavy Bear Who Goes With Me". This heavy bear, also shows up as Hugo Bauer in the recently discovered, short story "The Heights of Joy": "He had moreover, a burley and bear-like dignity."

Schwartz's dreams may have been tortured, but here presented in prose "In dreams begin Responsibility" or in poetry "In the Naked Bed, In Plato's Cave", or "Father and Son": "When you wake up from sleep, still drunk with sleep, you are afraid of time and its slow drip". The fully appreciate the final poem "Seurat's Sunday Afternoon Along the Seine" should be read with a copy of the painting in hand.

Perhaps some of these are repackaged from other collections, but provides an introduction for new readers, and a good reflection for the experienced.