Poetry as enchantment And other essays

Following in the footsteps of the literary critics he most admires, Gioia (Meet Me at the Lighthouse, 2023) joins W. H. Auden, Randall Jarrell, and D. H. Lawrence in embracing criticism that is insightfully intellectual and surprisingly personal. The book opens with an impassioned celebration of the enchanting powers of poetry, of its potential to bring ecstatic pleasure and profound delight. Other essays rescue from obscurity lesser-known authors, such as British poet Donald Davie and John Allan Wyeth, "the most important American poet of the First World War." A series of short takes provides snapshots of the work of such well-known writers as Elizabeth Bishop, Garrison Keillor, and Seamus Heaney as well as ruminations on writers who will be new to many readers, such as Samuel Menashe, Shirley Geok-Lin Lim, and Weldon Kees. Gioia's "West Coast Reports" are perhaps the most enchanting entries, as he indulges in silliness and humor while recounting past lives in Los Angeles. Always a canny discussant of contemporary poetics, Gioia again provides vital guidance for evaluating poetry that will appeal to tenured professors and armchair aficionados alike.