Beloved Poet Mary Oliver, Who Believed Poetry 'Mustn't Be Fancy,' Dies At 83

[Gutwrench]

Mary Oliver is one of my most treasured contemporary poets...to heck with it...poets period.

Much-loved poet Mary Oliver died Thursday of lymphoma, at her home in Florida. She was 83. Oliver won many awards for her poems, which often explore the link between nature and the spiritual world; she also won a legion of loyal readers who found both solace and joy in her work.

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/17/5773...o-believed-poetry-mustn-t-be-fancy-dies-at-83

 

[Lioness~]

Bought her collected poems 'Devotions' just recently. Will enjoy to explore her writings.
Seems interesting in first glance.
In periods, especially when I was younger, I’ve been reading a lot of poems.
Was not familiar with her however.

 

[Gutwrench]

Bought her collected poems 'Devotions' just recently. Will enjoy to explore her writings.
Seems interesting in first glance.
In periods, especially when I was younger, I’ve been reading a lot of poems.
Was not familiar with her however.

These are what’s on a shelf. Apparently I don’t have Devotions or its misplaced. I’ll google it. Thank you. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I have. Mary Oliver is why I like poetry...particularly nonmetrical poetry.

I think her Dogfish is what hooked me. Oliver took me to Robert Hayden, Eavan Borland, Wistawa Szymborska, Charles Bukowski, Halina Poswiatowska, and Pablo Neruda to name just a few.

What brought you to buy Devotions? Is it from hearing of her death or just coincidence?

I’m always on the lookout for new authors especially foreign authors. Perhaps you’d recommend a couple and I’ll see if I can find a translated copy of their work.

 

[smirking]

I think her Dogfish is what hooked me.

I have an autographed copy of Dream Work!

 

[Gutwrench]

I have an autographed copy of Dream Work!

Do you mind my asking how you got it? Did you meet her? Maybe sent her a copy to sign? Years ago I had the crazy notion to drive to Ohio in hope to listen to one of her lectures.

Ps - Who else do you read you’d recommend? Just a name or too, pls.

 

[Lioness~]

These are what’s on a shelf. Apparently I don’t have Devotions or its misplaced. I’ll google it. Thank you. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I have. Mary Oliver is why I like poetry...particularly nonmetrical poetry.

I think her Dogfish is what hooked me. Oliver took me to Robert Hayden, Eavan Borland, Wistawa Szymborska, Charles Bukowski, Halina Poswiatowska, and Pablo Neruda to name just a few.

What brought you to buy Devotions? Is it from hearing of her death or just coincidence?

I’m always on the lookout for new authors especially foreign authors. Perhaps you’d recommend a couple and I’ll see if I can find a translated copy of their work.

View attachment 816834

Yes, I read about it, and that she got numerous prizes. Unusual for poets. Must have missed something, I figured. So checked up and bought the Kindle version.

One of my absolute Swedish authors is Karin Boye. Read everything, wrote special works about her when I was at the Science of Literature at University.

http://www.karinboye.se/verk/dikter/index-en.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boye

Anything by Rumi:
Once you get into his world, you get hooked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi
Just posted some quotes here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/favourite-quotes.1699656/page-5#post-27019923 #120

Another favourite is Herman Hesse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse
Also someone that I wrote special works about. Read everything from him too.
Edit. At least everything that I've found translated, I don't speak or read German, unfortunately.
He even got the NobelPrize in Literature 1946.

 

[Gutwrench]

Yes, I read about it, and that she got numerous prizes. Unusual for poets. Must have missed something, I figured. So checked up and bought the Kindle version.

One of my absolute Swedish authors is Karin Boye. Read everything, wrote special works about her when I was at the Science of Literature at University.

http://www.karinboye.se/verk/dikter/index-en.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boye

Anything by Rumi:
Once you get into his world, you get hooked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi
Just posted some quotes here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/favourite-quotes.1699656/page-5#post-27019923 #120

Another favourite is Herman Hesse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse
Also someone that I wrote special works about. Read everything from him too.
He even got the NobelPrize in Literature 1946.

I’m burning dinner!! Thank you so much! I’ll be back later.

 

[smirking]

Do you mind my asking how you got it? Did you meet her? Maybe sent her a copy to sign? Years ago I had the crazy notion to drive to Ohio in hope to listen to one of her lectures.

Ps - Who else do you read you’d recommend? Just a name or too, pls.

I bought it on Amazon years ago. Some bookstore was selling an autographed copy. I few years after I got it, I did attend a talk she was doing with City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco. She was promoting her autobiography, Long Life. There was a meet and greet line afterwards and she was signing copies of her books, but pretty much the entire auditorium got in line for that and I didn't have time to wait an hour for a 15 second encounter so I passed on it.

I haven't done much reading in recent years so I'm not sure if I can recommend anyone you don't already know. If you haven't encountered Diane Wakoski, I'd recommend her as she has a similar style to Mary Oliver. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Gutwrench]

Yes, I read about it, and that she got numerous prizes. Unusual for poets. Must have missed something, I figured. So checked up and bought the Kindle version.

One of my absolute Swedish authors is Karin Boye. Read everything, wrote special works about her when I was at the Science of Literature at University.

http://www.karinboye.se/verk/dikter/index-en.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boye

Anything by Rumi:
Once you get into his world, you get hooked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi
Just posted some quotes here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/favourite-quotes.1699656/page-5#post-27019923 #120

Another favourite is Herman Hesse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse
Also someone that I wrote special works about. Read everything from him too.
Edit. At least everything that I've found translated, I don't speak or read German, unfortunately.
He even got the NobelPrize in Literature 1946.

I bought it on Amazon years ago. Some bookstore was selling an autographed copy. I few years after I got it, I did attend a talk she was doing with City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco. She was promoting her autobiography, Long Life. There was a meet and greet line afterwards and she was signing copies of her books, but pretty much the entire auditorium got in line for that and I didn't have time to wait an hour for a 15 second encounter so I passed on it.

I haven't done much reading in recent years so I'm not sure if I can recommend anyone you don't already know. If you haven't encountered Diane Wakoski, I'd recommend her as she has a similar style to Mary Oliver. Do you have any recommendations?

@Lioness~ and @smirking - I’m sorry the past couple days hasn’t left much free time. Thank you for your posts. I’ll properly reply as soon as I can.

 

[Gutwrench]

Yes, I read about it, and that she got numerous prizes. Unusual for poets. Must have missed something, I figured. So checked up and bought the Kindle version.

One of my absolute Swedish authors is Karin Boye. Read everything, wrote special works about her when I was at the Science of Literature at University.

http://www.karinboye.se/verk/dikter/index-en.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boye

Anything by Rumi:
Once you get into his world, you get hooked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi
Just posted some quotes here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/favourite-quotes.1699656/page-5#post-27019923 #120

Another favourite is Herman Hesse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse
Also someone that I wrote special works about. Read everything from him too.
Edit. At least everything that I've found translated, I don't speak or read German, unfortunately.
He even got the NobelPrize in Literature 1946.

Thank you. I’ve just ordered the following. I was hesitant on the one written by Coleman Barks because he doesn’t speak Farsi, but still seemed the best choice.

Thank you once again for your time to offer suggestions, and again I apologize for my long delay in replying.


[doublepost=1548521214][/doublepost]I just stumbled on this and purchased it. It’s well organized with a really nice opening biography of Rumi.

 

[Lioness~]

Thank you. I’ve just ordered the following. I was hesitant on the one written by Coleman Barks because he doesn’t speak Farsi, but still seemed the best choice.

Thank you once again for your time to offer suggestions, and again I apologize for my long delay in replying.

View attachment 818224 View attachment 818225
[doublepost=1548521214][/doublepost]I just stumbled on this and purchased it. It’s well organized with a really nice opening biography of Rumi.

View attachment 818227

Nice choices. Enjoy.
Although I have read a lot of the English translations of Karin Boye, I might even buy that collection myself. Even if his translations, and the other ones as well, are available on KB website.
Don’t know which translator I prefer, they are just a bit different. Prefer her original Swedish version of course. Sometimes I’ve translated something myself for friends even.

All the translators have their issues of understanding Rumi, so it doesn’t matter where you start. It leads somewhere in your own understanding. Embrace the journey

 

[Gutwrench]

I started thumbing through the two Rumi books that arrived yesterday. Boye will come in a few days more.

 

[VulchR]

Mary Oliver is one of my most treasured contemporary poets...to heck with it...poets period.

Just saw this thread. Still gutted about Mary Oliver's passing. Best poetry I have ever read. The thing I truly don't understand is why my teachers rammed Chaucer and Beowulf down my gullet while I was growing up in the US but didn't even mention Mary Oliver. I have my suspicions that it was because Mary Oliver had a female partner... I wonder even now the extent to which her poetry is taught in US schools.