Over the last ten years, through essays in The New Republic, The New Yorker, and other magazines, Adam Kirsch--"one of the most promising young poet-critics in America" (Los Angeles Times)--has established himself among the most controversial and fearless critics writing today. Sure to cause heated debate, this collection of essays surveys the world of contemporary poetry with boldness and insight, whether Kirsch is scrutinizing the reputation of popular poets such as Billy Collins and Sharon Olds or admiring the achievement of writers as different as Derek Walcott, Czeslaw Milosz, and Frederick Seidel. For readers who want an introduction to the complex world of contemporary American poetry, from major figures like Jorie Graham to the most promising poets of the younger generation, Kirsch offers close readings and bold judgments. For readers who already know that world, The Modern Element will offer a surprising and thought-provoking new perspective.

Author: Adam Kirsch
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 01/17/2008
Pages: 354
Weight: 1.13lbs
Size: 8.60h x 6.30w x 1.09d
ISBN: 9780393062717


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2008 pg. 36
Library Journal 03/01/2008 pg. 82
New York Times Book Review 08/31/2008 pg. 15
New York Times Book Review 09/07/2008 pg. 22
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2008 pg. 343

About the Author
Kirsch, Adam: - Adam Kirsch is the author of several books of poetry and criticism, including Who Wants to Be a Jewish Writer? and The People and the Books: Eighteen Classics of Jewish Literature. A 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, Kirsch is an editor at the Wall Street Journal's Weekend Review section and has written for publications including The New Yorker and Tablet. He lives in New York.