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Title details for Being Reflected Upon by Alice Notley - Available

Being Reflected Upon

by Alice Notley
Alice Notley
Audiobook
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A memoir in verse from one of America's legendary poets
In a New York Times review of Alice Notley’s 2007 collection In the Pines, Joel Brouwer wrote that “the radical freshness of Notley’s poems stems not from what they talk about, but how they talk, in a stream-of-consciousness style that both describes and dramatizes the movement of the poet’s restless mind, leaping associatively from one idea or sound to the next.” Notley’s new collection is at once a window into the sources of her telepathic and visionary poetics, and a memoir through poems of her Paris-based life between 2000 and 2017, when she finished treatment for her first breast cancer. As Notley wrote these poems she realized that events during this period were connected to events in previous decades; the work moves from reminiscences of her mother and of growing up in California to meditations on illness and recovery to various poetic adventures in Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Edinburgh. It is also concerned with the mysteries of consciousness and the connection between the living and dead, “stream-of-consciousness” teasing out a lived physics or philosophy.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Penguin Poets

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 2, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593829554
      • File size: 89619 KB
      • Duration: 03:06:42

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 15, 2024
      A noteworthy member of the self-appointed Second New York School, Notley (For the Ride) takes the title of her expansive 50th book from a poem by Frank O’Hara: she is “reflected upon” by people and places witnessed and imagined during a 17-year period of loss, illness, and joyful remembering from 2000 to 2017. After the death of her second husband (“Doug—April 21, 2000”), Notley lives in Paris (“for the health care”), having undergone radiation treatments for cancer. There, she is delighted to be—through a club membership—“an international poet.” She visits her mother in Needles, Ariz., where she grew up: “she doesn’t want me there because I know she’s dying/ others don’t seem to then she wants me there again/ and I’m there and back here and there and then there again./ I hate people who listen to music on machines.” Interruptions in the form of dreams, flashbacks, Lucrezia Borgia, Ginsberg, an acid trip, her husbands and sons break the flow, though the poet’s stamina and humor are good company throughout, “Dream old pay phone ringing in hospital I pick up/ receiver voice says ‘The answer is awe.’ ” Notley offers an intriguing and spirited reflection on a life in poetry.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listening to Alice Notley read her own poetry is rather like visiting her mind. It may take a while to get used to the strange environment, but eventually one adapts and starts to feel comfortable. The poetry still requires attention and investigation, but it is rewarding. Notley's voice is intense and immediate, almost as though she is not reading the poems but improvising them in front of the microphone. The internal connections are associative rather than causal, tending to orbit the nominal subjects rather than driving straight toward them. Those who are willing to be swept away by the flood of words and ideas will enjoy a thrilling ride. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      September 13, 2024

      Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize winner poet Notley (Certain Magical Acts) pens a memoir in verse, exploring her poetic influences and the last two decades of her life after the death of her second husband, poet and educator Douglas Oliver. Notley reflects upon undergoing treatments for breast cancer, the years she spent living in Paris ("for the health care"), memories of her youth, the deaths of her mother and her husband, and much more. Vibrant snippets of dreams, half-finished thoughts, and flashbacks ("Have you forsythia proven John Forsythe / in the driven to remember rain or snow I'm sinking / syntax by vibe, okay?") contribute to the stream-of-consciousness flow that is alternately discombobulating and insightful. Notley narrates her own work with quiet simplicity, offering listeners an intimate glimpse into her innermost thoughts. Her slightly weathered voice bears witness to the years she spent honing her craft. VERDICT Heartfelt and affecting, Notley's poetry leaps from the page and straight into the imagination. Essential listening for fans of Notley's work. Those unfamiliar with her poetry will want to dive into her earlier collections.--Erin Cataldi

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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