The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write: Poems (Paperback)
A “master of the lyric poem” (Paris Review) at the top of his form writes indelibly of grief and love.
In this moving, playful, and deeply philosophical volume, acclaimed poet Gregory Orr returns with a passionate exploration of the forces that shape us. Slipping effortlessly from personal trauma (“Song of What Happens”) to public catastrophe (“Charlottesville Elegy”), Orr seeks innovative ways for the imagination to respond to and create meaning out of painful experiences, while at the same time rejoicing in love and language. The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write confirms Orr’s place among the preeminent lyric poets of his generation, engaging the deepest existential issues with wisdom and humor and transforming them into celebratory song.
Gregory Orr has written twelve poetry collections, a memoir, and several books of criticism, most recently A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry. The recipient of Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, he lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Engrossing… achingly honest.
— Washington Post
Sharp, memorable, and immensely lyrical.… This book is proof that Gregory Orr belongs in that pantheon [of renowned writers], offering an exceptional, stirring, and certain voice in our own uncertain world.
— Mandana Chaffa - Rain Taxi Review
Orr is able to alter our perception of the material world with the simplest words.
— Michael Dhyne - Adroit Journal
The crystalized, perfectly-clear articulations of grief that begin the collection ring through it, though, making it impossible to read even the simplest lyric in The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write as light.
— Katie Berta - Ploughshares
At first plainspoken and clever, Orr pushes conceits until they are revelatory in this deceptively simple book.
— Publishers Weekly
Verse of astonishing verbal clarity—no polysyllabic scientific and philosophical trade vocabulary for Orr—and virtually invisible but adamantine technique.… This is the work of one of our best poets.
— Booklist
— Washington Post
Sharp, memorable, and immensely lyrical.… This book is proof that Gregory Orr belongs in that pantheon [of renowned writers], offering an exceptional, stirring, and certain voice in our own uncertain world.
— Mandana Chaffa - Rain Taxi Review
Orr is able to alter our perception of the material world with the simplest words.
— Michael Dhyne - Adroit Journal
The crystalized, perfectly-clear articulations of grief that begin the collection ring through it, though, making it impossible to read even the simplest lyric in The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write as light.
— Katie Berta - Ploughshares
At first plainspoken and clever, Orr pushes conceits until they are revelatory in this deceptively simple book.
— Publishers Weekly
Verse of astonishing verbal clarity—no polysyllabic scientific and philosophical trade vocabulary for Orr—and virtually invisible but adamantine technique.… This is the work of one of our best poets.
— Booklist