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The Bread of Time: Toward an Autobiography
The Bread of Time
is an amalgam of celebration and quest. In this memoir, Philip Levine celebrates the poets who were his teachers--particularly John Berryman and Yvor Winters, writers whose lives and work, he believes, have been misunderstood and misinterpreted. In the process of writing this account of his childhood and young manhood in Detroit and of his middle and late
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Paperback
,
304 pages
Published
December 10th 2001
by University of Michigan Press
(first published 1994)
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Levine’s The Bread of Time is amazing for its inside look at Robert Lowell and John Berryman, Detroit industrial working class jobs, Levine’s first steps into poetry, his coming of age as a poet, synthesizing these and additional experiences, as well as finding Lorca’s voice in Poet in New York resonating in him so authentically, that Levine found his own voice as a result.
The most powerful sections of Levine’s memoirs for me were his discussions of what I term poetic source and his discussions ...more
The most powerful sections of Levine’s memoirs for me were his discussions of what I term poetic source and his discussions ...more
a sort of coming-of-age, creative non-fiction exersize, that should be of interest to anyone with a love of poerty. as levine and friends say in an early essay; this is serious business. but not without great enjoyment and what i enjoyed the most was the absolute love of poetry that shone through levine's solid and seamless prose. he takes us to the waning years of franco's spain where he meets a fellow lover of poetry who was raised in different experiences with different canonical (and spanish
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p. 30-- "No poet worth his salt is going to be handsome; if he or she is beautiful there's no need to create the beautiful. Beautiful people are special; they don't experience life like the rest of us."
A wonderful set of essays by a wonderful poet. Great insight into the intellectual rigor and discipline required to write poetry and the process of finding a poetic voice. Will send you immediately to the man's poetry, especially "What Work Is" and "The Simple Truth" (National Book Award and Pulitzer prize, respectively). By turns angry, funny, and profound.
Reading Levine's nonfiction is like being with an old friend. That's a terrible cliche, but it's how I feel. I particularly needed, although I hadn't known it, to read his revelation about what work is, that is the work of poetry. Levine is one of a kind; this was a terrific sharing of his poetic life, the parts that matter to him.
A nice, episodic memoir of Levine's life in poetry. The chapter on Levine's experiences with Yvor Winters and the accompanying poem are a great example of what it looks like to see prose translated into poetry.
One of my favorite pieces of non-fiction. The poet Levine writes beautiful essays -- about writing, other poets, Spain, etc. Mesmerizing, straightforward, thought-provoking.
I will re-read this from time to time, especially Levine's description of John Berryman's loving dedication to his students of life, truth and writing.
The essays on Yvor Winters and John Berryman have a lot to say about the role of mentors in poetic life.
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Philip Levine (b. January 10, 1928, Detroit, Michigan. d. February 14, 2015, Fresno, California) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet best known for his poems about working-class Detroit.
He taught for over thirty years at the English Department of California State University, Fresno and held teaching positions at other universities as well. He is appointed to serve as the Poet Laureate of t ...more
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He taught for over thirty years at the English Department of California State University, Fresno and held teaching positions at other universities as well. He is appointed to serve as the Poet Laureate of t ...more
“As you know, Joyce was a writer who asked his reader to give him a lifetime,” he said. “I am that reader, and I can tell you it was a wasted life.”
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