Erudite, Witty, Talented
David R. Slavitt is a rarity in contemporary poetry. In an era when autobiography in verse is the trend, Slavitt is a refreshing change of pace. Slavitt includes the personal, but he also is capable of achieving the historical, the social, the universal.Slavitt writes masterly free verse as well as formal verse. It seems there is no trick of the trade he hasn't long ago learned and now uses with a natural facility that humbles as well as amazes.If there is a downfall to this book, it is simply that a few poems are somewhat dry and self-indulgent. But don't let this dissuade you from reading it. The majority of the poems in this collection are truly wonderful. We need more Slavitts in American letters. He is already a classic in my mind.