John AshberySelf-Portrait in a Convex Mirror: Poems (Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award Winner) (Penguin Poets)

John Ashbery is probably the most famous and most productive of the Post-Modernists & the New York School of poets. His career has been long and productive. He remains to this day very visible, frequently publishing his poems in the New Yorker. It was, in fact, within the pages of the New Yorker that I first encountered Ashbery in my youth. I hated his work immediately. In fact, it took years for me to discover the incredible beauty and intellectual stimulation within Ashbery's poetry. Over the years I have come to appreciate Ashbery's more recent, or later work most of all. Although I appreciate the greater simplicity of his earlier work, and the great, convoluted anguish of his middle work, it is the vision of his later work that engages me most.Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror belongs primarily to his middle period. It, of course, famously won many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. I own this edition of the work and it has held up well with multiple readings, both the actual paperback, and the text. When I initially read this volume I found it strangely troubling and thought-provoking. I felt almost physically anguished as I read it over and over again. When I first encountered it I surrendered nearly a complete month to repeatedly devouring Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. However, in the end I found that it is still not my favorite of his works. Also, I must confess that I found the short poems in the volume much more engaging than the long, title poem.As a poet, myself, for years I have found endless inspiration within Ashbery's writing (as well as the writing of many others, including the particularly noteworthy Charles Simic). I think for those first approaching Ashbery's work, this is probably the best place to start. I believe you will find that you either love or hate his work. If you discover that you love it, move on to other works such as The Mooring of Starting Out - a 1 volume edition of his first 4 volumes of poetry, or Where Shall I Wander - one of his latest works...or, there are so many others to choose from, all good, solid works of poetry. If you've already read other works by Ashbery, but have not read this work, you need to get yourself a copy and get to it. I am convinced that it would be a mistake to overlook this very important and engaging work.

I am a poet and lover of poetry so I read a lot of books by other poetsAnd John Ashberry is my favorite!

An important document in 20th century poetry. Ashbery takes us on a grand tour of his mind. (His later tours are more like bumper car rides.)

If there's a Best Ashbery Book, this is it.If you assume there is no best Ashbery book, you might find this irritating, butit's there, anyway. And this is, of course, just my opinion.

Great with the exception of the cover of the book. It was different than the posted photo and I went with this seller specifically for the posted cover. Integrity of the book is intact and as described.

Amazed, confused, and frustrated...I've returned to to this book many times over the years.

Fine

The book that I received has a different cover from the posted picture.

Wonderful!

Thank you