|
Back Issues |
|
Books
& Literature You
Raise Me Now in Song:
This poem was written around 2300 BC by the Sumerian moon priestess Enheduanna. It is one of the opening poems in the ambitious and inspiring work, A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now. Father-daughter team Willis and Aliki Barnstone have collected women’s poetry written in over 35 languages -- from the first poems recorded on clay tablets to those of the late 20th century. But this book is more than a reference or anthology. It is an education in culture and history. And it allows us to feel intimately connected with women, across the borders of both language and time. As the title suggests, the task of this anthology is daunting. To approach their aim, the Barnstones present the work of three hundred women poets. They have divided the works by language -- and in some cases language group. For instance, English, Egyptian, Greek, and Papuan (from New Guinea) are separate sections. Native American languages are grouped in one section, as are African languages. Within each section the poets are organized chronologically. This thoughtful framework makes for a “user-friendly” collection that allows us to trace the history of poetry in a geographical area, or to compare, say, the 7th century in India to the 7th century in Japan.
These lines were written by Princess Oku in 7th century Japan. Around the same time, in India, Vidya wrote the following verse,
Another wonderful feature of Women Poets is the biographical and historical information. We learn, for example, that Korinna, a Greek poet of the 3rd century BCE, “defeated Pindar five times in poetry competitions." About Yu Hsuan-chi, writing in China in the 9th century, we discover that “she was a highly cultivated literary courtesan, a concubine, a Taoist nun, and finally a criminal arrested for beating her maid to death." And we also find that, "Although she was executed, it is virtually certain that the charge was trumped up; her poet friends tried unsuccessfully to save her." Such insights are invaluable, as we also get to see how, for example, at least in America, poetry has moved more and more into the universities and out of the streets, salons and courts. The Barnstones seem to have chosen these translations carefully. Readers will recognize the names of Ezra Pound and Kenneth Rexroth among the translators. In some cases, they have written the translations themselves. These translations capture not only the meaning, but also the tone of the originals, sometimes formal and intellectual, sometimes lyrical and dreamy, sometimes ecstatic. Translation is, of course, key in preserving the “truth” of these poems while making that truth accessible to readers. And Willis Barnstable seems to understand the demands of the poetic process of translation, a process he explores in another book, The Poetics of Translation: History, Theory, Practice. This expanded 2nd Edition of Women Poets focuses on the “renaissance of women’s poetry in America." Aliki Barnstone presents three poets in depth -- Phillis Wheatley, Mina Loy and Lorine Niedecker -- all of whom were unknown when they died, although each had, in fact, made a major contribution to American poetry. The extensive section on English language poetry is diverse, including a selection of poems by women from a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In fact, diversity seems to be a top priority for the editors. In a world where publishing -- and education -- can be as political as aesthetic, it is wonderful to be introduced to poets we may never meet in classrooms or in the featured works of many chain bookstores. The more we’re exposed to the variety in this book, however, the more we begin to see the similarities. Thousands of years ago, in places far away, women thought and wrote about love, family, work, god. In ancient times, as now, some women broke from tradition, personally and artistically, while some lived and created within the limits of tradition. All three hundred poets represented in A Book of Women Poets chose language as their tool, and, for some, as their salvation. This salvation, as well as what the Barnstones have accomplished in A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now, might best be summed up by these words from the 20th century Russian poet, Bella Akhmadulina, who writes in the poem “Silence” :
It's rare to see so much cultural diversity managed in such an even-handed way. The Barnstones, then, in A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now, has helped to raise, among much else, the standard by which such anthologies should be measured. . Laura
Wisniewski A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity
to Now . ******* *******
We're thinking about making a Best Books list {see our first Best Books survey and results in Back Issues ...}an on-going feature here at DownStreet. In addition, we'd like to hear from more book clubs in the area, whether open to new members or not. Either way, we'd like to publish your reading lists, both here in the magazine, or in our Community Pages. If your book club or reading group is interested in participating, please e-mail us at ... Let us know the name, if any, of your club or group, how many members and if you're open to new members, and where and when you meet. Finally, don't forget tell us about your recent or up-coming reading list. . ******* *******
If you'd like to submit a book review, whether of a new title or something past, please e-mail us at books@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed review. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. Please be sure to include information for the title, author and publisher/edition. ... If your review is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.] If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* . |
|
*******
******* ******* ******* For more information, contact DownStreet Magazine by ...
Phone
(802) 453-5124 All
material copyrighted © 2000-2001. All rights
reserved. |
