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Robinson Jeffers died in 1962 at the age of seventy-five, ending one of the most controversial poetic careers of this century.

The son of a theology professor at Western Seminary in Pittsburgh, Jeffers was taught Greek, Latin, and Hebrew as a boy, and spent three years in Germany and Switzerland before entering the University of Western Pennsylvania (now Pittsburgh) at fifteen. His education continued on the West Coast after his parents moved there, and he received a B.A. from Occidental College at eighteen. His interest in forestry, medicine, and general science led him to pursue his studies at the University of Southern California, and the University of Zurich.

The poems in this volume have been selected from his major works, among them Be Angry at the Sun; Hungerfield; The Double Axe; Roan Stallion; Tamar and Other Poems; as well as The Beginning and the End, which contains his last poems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Perhaps He Had a Point ...
Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) was an outspoken, vitriolic isolationist during World War II; that stance has colored his reputation as a poet and a human forevermore. But his 'isolation' was more than merely a rejection of America's pretenses of a special destiny and a moral superiority. Jeffers was effectively a hermit, a bleak-eyed flinty misanthrope. In another era, an era of spiritual credulity, he might have been a flagellant saint or a stylite. Instead he lived in a stone house built with his own hands on the rugged Big Sur coast of California, where he wrote his painfully beautiful poems about cruelty and passion in utter isolation from any trends or fashions in the literary world. His work is like nobody else's in the English language. His obdurate pessimism about human nature is uniquely, perversely, a tribute to the human will.

Probably the best review of a poet's work is a sample of his poetry:

SHINE PERISHING REPUBLIC

While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening
to empire
And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the
mass hardens,
I sadly smiling remember that the flower fades to make fruit, the fruit rots
to make earth.
Out of the mother; and through the spring exultances, ripeness and deca-
dence; and home to the mother.

You making haste haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it stub-
bornly long or suddenly
A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains:
shine, perishing republic.
But for my children, I would have them keep their distance from the thick-
ening center; corruption
Never has been compulsory, when the cities lie at the monster's feet there
are left the mountains.
And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man, a clever servant,
insufferable master.
There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught--they say--
God, when he walked on earth.

A Beauty beyond the human
I had heard of Jeffers' work, and perhaps read an anthology poem here or there. This small volume is essentially what I know of his work. I know he wrote many long poems, but the long one in this volume, Roan Stallion, did not much appeal to me. The mixture of myth and realistic story, the violence of characters simply did not hold me. But in some of the shorter poems I found a great beauty and originality, a perspective and to a degree a language all his own.
His credo is what he called 'Inhumanism'. This term is awkward and unappealing. I also would not subscribe to it. But it does have a virtue in calling for humanity to be less egocentric, more aware of the natural world which surrounds and dwarfs us , and above all to be sensitive to the overwhelming beauty of that world.
This is his credo. It comes as preface to his work 'The Double Axe" He calls his philosophical approach Inhumanism.
" Inhumanism, a shifting of emphasis and significance from man to not-man; the rejection of human solipsism and recognition of the transhuman magnificence. .... It offers a reasonable detachment as rule of conduct, instead of love, hate and envy. It neutralizes fanaticism and wild hopes; but it provides magnificence for the religious instinct, and satisfies our need to admire greatness and rejoice in beauty."

Jeffers had a deep feeling for the natural world, but his understanding of human history was flawed. His treating both sides in the Second War as equal barbarians was a moral mistake of the first order.
There are many impressive lines and poems in this collection.
From his early poem 'The Stone - Cutters'
"For man will be blotted out, the blithe earth die,
the brave sun
Die blind and blacken the heart:
Yet stones have stood for a thousand years, and pained
thoughts found
The honey of peace in old poems."

Well Worth the Pause and Reflect
I picked this up after a short hike in the Ventana Wilderness in the Big Sur area...to my surprise, one of the selected poems spoke exactly to the experience of the day:"Return".

Many of the reviews here are a bit dated.In 2009, we find ourselves mired in a number of national problems, so maybe it's time for another look at Jeffers.

For myself, I find comfort in the natural things he talks about - the poems remind me that we can simplify, and maybe that's a goal we should be looking at again.

On the other hand, perhaps the moment's distraction is enough.So keep this book nearby for those times.

Best introductory volume on Jeffers unique poetry and views
Jeffers was a phenomenon. You will love it or hate it. Depends on your world view. It has a spiritual basis but is not religious. It is pantheistic; can you stand it?

It's not about consumerism, or the present moment. It's about time and the river (with apologies to Thomas Wolfe). His shorter poems are sometimes breathtaking in their beauty; his epics may please those who read romance novels.

Warning: you may be changed beyond redemption by reading this.

A fabulous little book
Recently while planning a trip to California, my mother came across a historic home tour of Tor House, the home of poet Robinson Jeffers.I love poetry so I read one of his poems posted on a web site, but it didn't appeal to me.However the house did.I met my family in Ca. and at the end of our vacation we toured Tor House.On the tour was an English professor who told us he taught poetry and spent a good deal of time discussing Jeffers' poems in his classes.Also, the docent's account of Jeffers' life was so intriguing.I realized I had given up on him too soon.My favorite story was that Jeffers apprenticed himself to the stonemason who built the original house so that he could build a tower for his wife Una, the love of his life.They lived simply and fairly happily with their twin sons.He was an incredible lover of nature and animals, and chose the hawk as his symbol.Their house is covered with hawks and unicorns (Una's symbol.)It is so interesting that a man who wrote so passionately against violence identified himself with the traditional symbol of war, the hawk, but this creature meant something completely different to him.Power and freedom.

I picked up this book in the gift shop.Opening it in the middle, I read "Contemplation of the Sword."The poem's dark, austere honesty is balanced by the seductive imagery, sinuous phrases and dramatic punctuation.It's obvious he hated violence and detested the anger that rose in him for hating violence.He loved his wife and children fiercely and wanted to keep them safe.He's a very passionate, emotional man and that comes through vividly in his poems.I love that his work is still relevant today.The emotions that he felt are emotions that I feel.These beautiful poems are works that will compellingly push the reader to think about the world, our place in it and our responsibility for it.The poetry is so rich, ripe and fluid that I hunger for more.Fortunately, the Stanford University Press has compiled a massive five volume set of Jeffers' poems.The bounty is abundant.
... Read more

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Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Recommended reading (or browsing) for our times.
I was first introduced to Jeffers in college. I was no fan of poetry then, and was intimidated by his style of writing. I recently picked it up out of curiosity, and have since been a convert. His writing has awakened my own interest in his work, and poetry in general.

From one casual reader to another, consider adding a little poetry to your reading list - and if you do, check out Robinson Jeffers. As another reviewer pointed out, this might be an under-represented collection of his works, so you may want to look around for a different volume. Better yet, look up some on the internet - he's dead, so its not like you are not stealing royalties from him.

Beware: This is the 1938 Random House Selected Jeffers
The 2007 Quinn Press "Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers" is NOT a new selection but a reproduction published by an on-demand printing company of the 1938 "Selected Poetry" that Random House originally published. That means it does not contain anything from the final 22 years of the poet's life -- nothing from "Be Angry at the Sun," "The Double Axe," "Hungerfield," "The Beginning and the End" or from his later uncollected poetry. If you want to buy the Random House 1938 selected, this new version by Quinn Press will do just fine, as long as you know what it is you're buying. It is valuable not just for the poems but for Jeffers' superb foreword in which he says, among many other things, that "I decided not to tell lies in verse. Not to feign any emotion that I did not feel." For a selection from the poet's complete work try the "Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers" edited by Tim Hunt and published by Stanford University Press in 2001. "Robinson Jeffers: Selected Poems" is a small but useful selection of the shorter poems published as a Vintage Book (Random House) in 1963. "Rock and Hawk" is a longer selection of Jeffers' shorter poems edited and with a superb introduction by Robert Hass. I recommend it highly. Another fine brief compilation is "Robinson Jeffers: Selected Poems" edited by Colin Falck for Carcanet Press in 1987. Tim Hunt has edited the first three volumes of Jeffers' "Collected Poetry" with the fourth volume slated for publication late in 2008.

timely
Jeffers would not be surprised by the timeliness of his poetry as issues of globalization, war, terror, environmental carelessness, and hubris once again flood our daily lives. His poetry resonates with a distaste for the very "inhumanities"--though he would consider them wholly human--that have brought us to this state of the world. The endless cycle which he mentions so many time is repeating itself once again, and his wisdoms and voice are gathered into a wonderful collection of his finest poetry.

One reading Jeffers in search of hope for humanity will be sorely disappointed, as his inhumanism is present on every page. It is not hopeless, however; the beauty of nature and the wild god of the world persist despite man's best efforts to tame and abolish them. Poems like "Vulture" are the only glimmer of hope that Jeffers has for mankind: recognize our place in the world and embrace it. That is the ultimate existence.

A Carmel Poet
Robinson Jeffers is most often considered a minor figure in thetwentieth century American literature canon.Countlessinstructors haven't even heard of him, but that is a shame.Some professors even skip the Jeffers section in American literature anthologies.With the publication of this long-awaited anthology (in paperback), there is plenty of evidence here to suggest that Jeffers is a major figure of influence.

Jeffers had a transcendental vision.He built a poet's niche in Carmel, where he commented on nature's cosmic cycles, its beauty and violence, which he saw as expressions of God's character.Jeffers was a poet of the Carmel landscape--weather worn granite, tumultous surf, birds of prey, twisted coastal cypress--he also approached descriptions of humanity's arrogance and weakness in light of its fascination with war, violence, and self-inscribed bloodshed.Jeffers espoused a poetic doctrine of Inhumanism, which was perhaps a reflection of his own personal misanthropy: humans are atoms to be split.

Some of my favorite poems are here: "Shine, Perishing Republic," "Boats in a Fog," "Carmel Point," "Divine Superfluous Beauty," "Tower Beyond Tragedy," "Bed by the Window," "Una," "The Deer Lay Down Their Bones," and even some of his last writing.I remember a certain Shakespeare class in which I read "Shine, Perishing Republic" on the day after the LA riots.

Robert Hass (UC Berkeley), C. Milosz (Emeritus, UC Berkeley), and William Everson have been poet champions of Jeffers' work.But one scholar, in particular, has dedicated his academic life to understanding that creative pulse, which inspired Jeffers to his pen.That notable scholar is Robert J. Brophy.

I highly recommend this anthology. I also recommend the scholarship of Robert Brophy.I can say with pleasure and esteem that I have benefited from his scholarship and literature courses at Cal State U., Long Beach.Bob Brophy introduced me to Jeffers (via a Jeffers course and a Tor House tour, 10/91); I have introduced Jeffers and his work to my own students, and I will forever be touched by his gentle, guiding hand.

The Inhumanist
Who was Robinson Jeffers? - A high priest of Nature? A proto-ecologist visionary? A lyric expounder of Fascism? An enemy of civilisation? An implacable misanthrope who spent his last years in his secluded lodging overlooking the Pacific, shunning what Edgar Allan Poe aptly referred to as "the tyranny of the human face"? His celebrations of war, his reverence for transhuman beauty, his dismissal of human egocentricity, and his pursuit of detachment and objectivity all suggest that he was either a befuddled hermit or an arch-hater of civilisation. Moreover, his fierce opposition to fanaticism and unfounded millennial hopes, his sanctification of greatness and his yearning to eradicate falsehoods and superstitions, - (such as human solipsism and anthropocentricsm) - and his registering of the urgings of religious awe tempt one to explain him away as a misanthrope. Both interpretations are wrong. Jeffers, a direct heir of the Transcendentalists Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman (he borrowed Whitman's long line, though failed to produce his sonic effects) stands as one of the finest poetic figures in neo-Romantic Modernism. His radical philosophy, which he called Inhumanism, is actually an attempt to totally think anew human conceptions regarding the nature and humanity, and is far too selective, complex, affirmative and far-reaching to be dismissed as simple misanthropy. It is for this reason that Jeffers's work has generated a vortex of academic dissent. The adage that "all great religions began as heresies" may receive sufficient demonstration in Jeffers' future critical reception. In this connection, it may be tempting to see Jeffers as another Prometheus, a seeker and bringer of Truth and Fire. His Inhumanism is a bold and powerful attempt to ennoble humanity through greater knowledge and self-scrutiny. ... Read more

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Jeffers Anthropology
I will be brief. Robinson Jeffers was/is a man from an ancient age who delivers a clarity of natural vision unparalleled by anyone else I have found. Learning to navigate the world of poetry is about acquiring taste, and for me the spread of this Wild God, refined by American history, by the native legacy, by the depredations and tragedies of modernity, and by the timelessness of human spiritual culture is beyond gourmet. Like the dying/revivifying deity, Jeffers' person and poetry was/is a generative force in a land of decay. Get your hands on this or any of his work if you can. For nowhere has the meaning of anthology been more apt: a gathering of flowers indeed.

Bleak, cold and beautiful
Jeffers somehow captures the spirit of the California coast at night. Its actually somewhat disturbingly cosmic, not in the hippy sense, but in the Greek sense: immense, infinite and terrifying. No wonder Jeffers' appeal is limited. I love him.

Appropriate Title: Excellent Collection
This brief collection of poetry by the former Carmel, CA resident Robinson Jeffers contains some of his strongest lyrical work.Although suited for an introductory course on poetry, I'm not sure why the publishers (Stanford UP) would think that this volume ... is a better deal than the other recent Stanford UP volume, The Collected Poetry, which includes some of Jeffers's prose (Prefaces/Letters) and is more comprehensive ...

This is a slim volume--about the size of Hass's previous collection (Rock and Hawk, now out-of-print).But it is vastly superior in text and style to The Selected Poems (thin book, red and blue cover, ...).

I highly recommend this text.It contains the "Best Of" Jeffers's poetic gems, such as "Shine, Perishing Republic," (apropos for our current times), and "For Una," to name a couple.

Jeffers was an amazing American poet.For once I disagree with Vendler's estimation of his poetic merits and craft.I would recommend Jeffers to a reader in the same spirit that Hass, C. Milosz, Wm. Everson, and Bukowski recommended that we listen to his prophetic voice.Jeffers's work embodies the Carmel landscape and cosmic essence of Northern California.Yet his voice is universal and resounds with tragic wisdom.

I also recommend Hass, Milosz, Everson, H. Miller, and the academic treatments of Jeffers's work by Robert Brophy. ... Read more

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The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers: 1939-1962 - Vol. III
This is, I think, the most expensive book I have ever purchased but, as I am growing old and as I love the poetry and the spirit of Robinson Jeffers and have committed several of his poems to memory, I wanted to experience his late and final work. I have not been disappointed. I find a power and grandeur in his words and thought that matches the California landscape that he so loved. I am slowly working my way backwards through the book and savoring each new discovery--even the ones that are obviously not his best, have lines that are remarkable. If you are a lover of language this book will provide endless hours of pleasure. His stark honesty and his love of beauty, I find inspirational. If you want to see what I mean, go read aloud, The Deer Lay Down Their Bones.

Some of the most powerful poetry you can find.
There are five volumes in the Jeffers Collected Poetry edition and there's also a new Selected Poetry single volume edition.Whether you want all of Jeffers' poetry or a sample of it, give yourself a treat and buy one of the books.Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are poetry while volume 4 is prose and unpublish poetry.Volume 5 is the detective story that tells how the edition's editor compiled the first four volumes.Volume 5 is a must read for anyone who wants to know the publishing process and should be read by lit teachers and students and emerging poets. The Selected Poetry contains some of the best of Jeffers so if you want a sample that ranges throughout his career, buy that volume.

Jeffers should be read by those who like poetry based on rhythm and pacing and those who want to experience the strong masculine voice of the poet.

third volume of poetry; covering WWII to death in 1962
If you take the time to read this, I am preaching to the believers.Nevertheless, I believe it is wonderful to finally have ALL of the maturepoetry of America's most powerful user of the English language in poetry,bar none.While this volume, overall, lacks the sustained force ofVolume 1, where you can view the ascendancy of his poetic voice and power,and Volume 2, where you can experience a sustained force of language thelikes of which it has not been my privelege to read elsewhere in fortyyears as a bibliophile, it is good to view the total experience of Jeffers'work, to see that even in his 70's he was a force to be reckoned with. Doyourself a favor and read all three volumes. ... Read more

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Here for a new generation of readers and students are two major poetic works of Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).The verse narrative Cawdor, set on the ruthless California coast which Jeffers knew so well, tells a simple tale: an aging widower, Cawdor, unwilling to relinquish his youth, knowingly marries a young girl who does not love him. She falls in love with his son, Hood, and the narrative unfolds in tragedy of immense proportions.

Medea is a verse adaptation of Euripides' drama and was created especially for the actress Judith Anderson. Their combined genius made the play one of the outstanding successes of the 1940s. In Medea, Jeffers relentlessly drove toward what Ralph Waldo Emerson had called "the proper tragic element"—terror. ... Read more

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great service
The book I received was in very good shape and the order was processed right away. ... Read more

Product Description
American Poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) was educated in the classics from an early age and published his first book of poetry in 1912. Most of Jeffers' work is distinguished by strong elemental narratives set in the California Carmel/Big Sur area. His imagery often puts the rugged beauty of the landscape in opposition to the degraded and introverted condition of modern humanity. Jeffers' themes draw on classical and biblical sources from his early education, and his strong interest in Nietzsche's concept of individualism. Many of his contemporaries erroneously regarded him as a nihilist. This collection of essays attempts to illustrate the art and complexity of Jeffers, while presenting new insights into his work and its perception among his contemporaries. The essayists are Robert Brophy, Alex Vardamis, Robert Zaller, Terry Beers, Tim Hunt, David J. Rothman, Alan Soldofsky, Kirk Glaser, and William Everson. The essays represent a range of critical points of entry-some are on the cutting-edge of criticism and break new ground, others attempt to place Jeffers in the established perspectives of Western civilization's Christian humanism and American poetry's landscape-centered mysticism. The collection constitutes some of the most conversant and active research in the field of Jeffers studies. The critiques speak to the nature of Jeffer's poetry- how it challenged both the minds and hearts of its readers and prompted them to carefully define their own values and authentically find their own center. ... Read more

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Out of print for many years, James Karman's Robinson Jeffers, Poet of California has been revised and expanded for this new edition. Karman takes us into the mythic life of Jeffers and his family as they build their own house on a desolate, rocky point at Carmel-By-The-Sea, where they carved out a life that honored hard work, self-reliance and the environment. ... Read more

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James Karman's Robinson Jeffers, Poet of California
While building his home on rugged Carmel Point, by himself Robinson Jeffers rolled granite boulders, sometimes in excess of four hundred pounds, to the construction site.The home eventually named the "TorHouse" towers intact to this day, which is appropriate considering thegradual re-emergence of Jeffers' popularity in recent years. Perhapsas much or more than any other poet, a critical biography is needed tofully appreciate Jeffers' poetry because it is so closely tied to how helived his life-why he chose to roll those granite boulders and thenapprentice himself to the stonemason who set them.In fact, in RobinsonJeffers Poet of California, James Karman concentrates on the constructionof the Tor House as a major turning point in Jeffers' career.Jeffer'swife, Una, wrote a letter describing the power of the experience:"As hehelped the mason...he realized some kinship with the granite and became awareof strengths in himself unknown before(48)." Karman effectivelyconcentrates on this link between poet and his life throughout thiscritical biography.Jeffers does not reveal himself in the intenselypersonal manner of a "confessional" poet, for instance.Writing along withsuch major figures as T.S. Eliot and addressing the cruelty of moderncivilization in the wake of the first World War, the de-personalizingeffects of societal convention were under intense scrutiny.As Karmannotes, though, while Eliot wrote poems with mythology primarily foundthrough reading, thus allowing himself the advantage of critiquing societyin terminology and myth his often elite audience was already familiar with,Jeffers by contrast "found what he was looking for primarily through animmediate experience of nature (68)." This is the admirable risk ofJeffers' poetry.Line after line, it refers to the power of experiencebeyond the exclusive mental and physical boundaries of modern human life. Yet, poetry based on life beyond modernity is on a collision course withcritical canons that have a strong penchant for intellectualism.Perhapslines such as "Humanity is the mould to break away from" found in RoanStallion, explain as much as anything else the abrupt rise and fall ofJeffers' popularity. Tamar and Other Poems was first printed byJeffers at his own expense.Nothing came from the effort and four hundredand fifty volumes were shipped back to Carmel and stored in the attic ofthe Tor House.A poem of Jeffers was later selected as the title piece ofan anthology put out by the Book Club of California.Thankful for theselection, Jeffers sent two of its editors, James Rorty and GeorgeSterling, copies of Tamar and Other Poems.A series of glowing reviewsfollowed, and as Karman puts it, "Suddenly, Jeffers was famous (73)." But with the publication of The Women at Point Sur in 1927, just twoyears after the steady praise for Tamar and Other Poems, Jeffers was"denounced by even his more ardent admirers (120)."More than the commentson stylistic inadequacies, what seems more damaging in the long run are thereferences to "the sickness" of Jeffer's world.I must say, as a readerexposed to a good chunk of Jeffers' poetry by way of Karman's generouscitations, I got frustrated with some of the work myself.It seems that atsome points, Jeffers is too ready to indict humanity, justifiably on manycounts, but at the expense of offering a vision that goes beyond articulatecondemnation.I longed to see Jeffers' call "to love beyond humanity" tothen return to love the potential of that animal."Not to be deluded bydreams," as Jeffers says in "The Answer," but also not to negate thesignificance of dreaming all together.I anticipate other readers beingsimilarly frustrated on these grounds.A poet such as Gary Snyder, whoacknowledges the realities facing human existence but comes away with amuch more hopeful conclusion, may seem a more attractive extension ofJeffers' honesty.Another strength of Karman's review is that hedoesn't contrive a defense for Jeffers.This may seem an obvious qualityof any good critical biography, but one can understand the temptation toprotect work suffering from as much unjustified obscurity as that ofJeffers'.Karman knows Jeffers wouldn't want to be protected.No otherpoet has ever slammed humans so hard into their own insignificance. Andwith Robinson Jeffers Poet of California, to his credit James Karman letsyou feel "the blow."The fact that Jeffers still found it meaningful towrite from even his most grim state of revelation is one of the mostpositive acts in American poetry to date.Regardless of whether or not hewas consciously able to gain comfort from his affirmation of life, Jefferswas both bashing dreams while also quietly clearing the way for new ones. ... Read more

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Morley Baer, the consummate West Coast Photographer
Morley Baer is up there with Adams, Weston, and Minor White. West Coast photography at its best. Reminds me of a private publication of "Tone Poems," but with a different bent. Jeffers offers his poetry in the book, where with "Tone Poems" a compact disc was played with poetry read for each page. Innovative, but not as satifying as Baer's photography. A must for all libraries.

Beauty in Prose and Imagery
This book is the consummate bonding of two of California's great artists.The words of Jeffers and the photographs of Baer blend to form a book of unparralled beauty...this book gives the Big Sur in California a grace and elegance beyond description..Mr. Baer's photographs are infused with a quiet intensity....one can spend hours enjoying his vision...adding the words of Robinson Jeffers is pure brilliance; particularly since these two men were part of what defined the West Coast art movement in the 50's.Strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves the Big Sur, brilliant b&w photography and the poetry and prose of Jeffers. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1948, Robinson Jeffers submitted the manuscript for 'The Double Axe and Other Poems' to Random House. During the months that followed, a controversy arose between Saxe Commins (his editor), Bennett Cerf (president of Random House), and the author, concerning the political nature of poetry. The end result was the deletion of 10 poems, the changing of several others, and the unusual situation of the publication of a book with a disclaimer from the publisher.

What troubled Commins and Cerf about the manuscript was that it revealed so much of Jeffers' stark philosophy. In order to illustrate his idea that man is basically inhuman, the poet used well-known contemporaries in negative examples. Post-war America simply was not ready to accept Jeffers' belief that its own leaders were self-seeking and really no better than Hitler or Stalin.

'In This Wild Water' is the story of 'The Double Axe.' In addition to chronicling the publication of the book, it includes the correspondence between Jeffers and Random House and offers a close look at each of the deleted poems (never before published) as well as the original versions of the altered poems. It also traces the development of Jeffers' philosophy of inhumanism, with a look at his early life and the events and circumstances that contributed to his ideas. ... Read more

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Universal Voices... No Time Limited.
It was after I got out of the Army... after Vietnam had found its surreal closure.I was living in Pacific Grove and wondering just what madness the nation might have gotten itself involved in next.
By happenchance, or serendipity I came into possession of "The Double Axe" by Robinson Jeffers.Here was a man, a great mind, that went to his grave an "isolationist", much like the wild, untamed country he lived in.He dared to speak out about the insanity of WWII and the horrendous loss of life.
His poems were haunting, but not like Wilfred Owen or Sasson.They spoke of lives being tossed away for nothing, wasted for a cause not worthy of their measure.Yes... they quietly slid these works into a corner of the literary world and tried to forget them.
Now I am no longer young... now another war whips up in my face and forces me to again think of wasted lives.It's easier this time, but the voice of "The Double Axe" and Jeffers' words ring true to me.
No... Jeffers isn't the easiest poet to figure out... his style can get wordy, clumpy.Let us make no mistake about this,though... conscience speaks loudly, and now is the time to again renew the conscience of Robinson Jeffers.

Arkangel
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A rich descriptive memoir
Una Jeffers, the amazing wife of poet Robinson Jeffers, had the kind of charisma that drew people to her.I recently visited Tor House in Carmel, CA where Una and Robinson lived.A docent told a funny little story of how Robinson wrote in their bedroom on the second floor and Una, sitting at her desk on the first floor, would pound the ceiling with a broom handle to jolt him back to work if she noticed he was not concentrating on his poetry.I know that I was drawn to her simply by the stories the docent told, which prompted me to buy this book.

This memoir is lovingly written by her good friend Edith, the second wife of Una's first husband, Edward Kuster.While married to Edward, Una met and fell in love with Robinson Jeffers. Edward discovered the attachment and asked Una to go to Europe to think through her feelings.In Europe, Una realized she was lost without Robinson, but was torn because she still loved Edward and didn't want to hurt him.Her problem was solved when a friend wrote to Una informing her that Edward had fallen in love with a young woman, Edith, the author of this memoir.Una was relieved that Edward was happy and in love.She returned to the U.S. and Robinson.After a time Una and Robinson and Edith and Edward became truly close friends.

Una was the force behind Robinson and kept him focused on his writing.He became one of the most famous poets of the mid twentieth century.He is mostly forgotten now which is distressing because his poetry is extraordinary.Edith's memoir is short but packed with rich descriptive memories.It's written in sort of a free form with one memory sparking another later memory as Edith describes Una's love of nature and English bulldogs, the heartbreak of losing her firstborn, the trials of motherhood raising twin boys, economically keeping her home and inspiring not only Robinson, but all who entered her life.

Edith downplayed her own fascinating life.Luckily James Karman, who wrote the forward and edited the original memoir, provides some detail about Edith.She studied modern dance at the legendary Denishawn School and was classmates with Martha Graham, one of the most influential figures in modern dance.Edith's dances seem to have inspired several of Robinson's poems.Edith also worked in her father's law firm, an almost unheard of opportunity for young single women in the early twentieth century, even for the daughters of lawyers.

This book also contains several photos of Una, Robinson, Edith, Edward and the Jeffers' twin sons as well as few poems by Robinson, that were unpublished at the time the original memoir was published in 1939.There is also and index of selections from Edith's rough drafts.The book and the index offer an intriguing glimpse into their lives.
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This book, the fourth of a five volume set, is in three parts. “Poetry 1903-1920” consists of some of the poems published while Jeffers was a college student, two early collections (Flagons and Apples and Californians), and a number of poems that were never published or were recently rediscovered. “Introductions, Forewords, and Miscellaneous Prose, 1920-1948” gathers all the major prose works. “Unpublished Poems and Fragments, 1910-1962” is mostly material that Jeffers never published, and apparently never tried to publish.The fifth volume in the edition will consist of commentary containing various procedural explanations and textual evidence for the texts presented in the edition, as well as transcriptions of working notes for the poems and of alternate and discarded passages. The Collected Poetry is designed by Adrian Wilson. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Buy it
Fine service, but the quality of the book is what matters.I would recommend volumes one through three to any avid reader - especially American poetry fans (in the line of Emerson and Poe).I have yet to purchase the other two volumes do to cost issues, though (I am a broke graduate student - for the first three sacrifices had to be made, which were well worth it).

modern greek tragedy set in california's big sur
the poetry of robinson jeffers is an underground password.named the only writer worthy of respect (besides bowles) by bukowski, jeffers is much underappreciated.

volume one of his collected works houses some of hisbest works--tamar, big sur, among others.his characters are very fallibleand faulty humans, fated by their emotions and passions.their desires andexperiences often transcend the norms of society and, as with greektragedy, the characters find themselves answering for their transgressions. the beautiful and stormy northern california backdrop, where jeffershimself lived and died, parallels the plot--nature is generallyforeshadowing events.i would have to say this is one of the greatestbooks of poetry i have read.one hint:dont read it like poetry; ignorethe line breaks because they do not fall where we think they should.readlike it is one long sentence and soon you find the rythm and you get lostin it like its a novel.cant say that about much poetry can you? ... Read more

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