📖 Overview
Peter Schjeldahl's Since 1964: New and Selected Poems compiles works spanning five decades of the author's poetry career, including both previously published pieces and new compositions. The collection represents Schjeldahl's evolution as a poet during a period of significant cultural change in America.
The poems move between New York City's art world of the 1960s and 1970s to broader reflections on American life in subsequent decades. Schjeldahl's background as an art critic informs many of the works, which often incorporate visual elements and references to painting and sculpture.
The subjects range from intimate personal experiences to observations of public life, with particular attention to the intersection of art, culture, and individual perception. The collection showcases Schjeldahl's distinctive voice through its varied forms, including both structured and free verse approaches.
The work explores themes of time, memory, and the role of art in making sense of human experience. Through these poems, Schjeldahl examines how personal and cultural histories intertwine, and how the act of observation itself shapes our understanding of reality.
👀 Reviews
There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Peter Schjeldahl's overall work:
Readers consistently highlight Schjeldahl's clear, conversational writing style that makes complex art concepts accessible. Many note his ability to describe visual art in precise language that helps them "see" the works being discussed.
Readers appreciate:
- Direct, jargon-free explanations of contemporary art
- Personal, honest reactions to artworks
- Ability to connect art to broader cultural contexts
- Humor and wit in his observations
Common criticisms:
- Some find his subjective approach too personal
- Occasional readers note his taste preferences can seem dismissive of certain artists/movements
- A few mention his writing can be dense for complete art novices
Ratings/Reviews:
- "Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light" (Goodreads): 4.3/5 from 212 reviews
- "Let's See: Writings on Art from The New Yorker" (Amazon): 4.5/5 from 48 reviews
Notable reader comment: "He writes about art the way people actually experience it - with excitement, confusion, revelation and sometimes frustration." - Goodreads reviewer
📚 Similar books
Selected Poems by Frank O'Hara
O'Hara's poems merge art criticism with personal experience while documenting New York City life in the mid-20th century.
Collected Poems by James Schuyler Schuyler's work captures moments of daily observation and meditation with attention to visual art and urban landscapes.
The Morning of the Poem by James Schuyler The long title poem and accompanying works present a chronicle of private life interwoven with cultural commentary.
Art and Architecture by John Ashbery This collection combines Ashbery's poetry with his art criticism, reflecting the intersection of visual art and poetic practice.
The Collected Poems by Kenneth Patchen Koch's poems blend humor with cultural critique while exploring the boundaries between art criticism and poetry.
Collected Poems by James Schuyler Schuyler's work captures moments of daily observation and meditation with attention to visual art and urban landscapes.
The Morning of the Poem by James Schuyler The long title poem and accompanying works present a chronicle of private life interwoven with cultural commentary.
Art and Architecture by John Ashbery This collection combines Ashbery's poetry with his art criticism, reflecting the intersection of visual art and poetic practice.
The Collected Poems by Kenneth Patchen Koch's poems blend humor with cultural critique while exploring the boundaries between art criticism and poetry.
🤔 Interesting facts
🖋️ Peter Schjeldahl worked as both a poet and an art critic, serving as the chief art critic for The New Yorker from 1998 until his death in 2022
🎨 Before focusing primarily on art criticism, Schjeldahl published five collections of poetry between 1967 and 1981, making Since 1964 a significant retrospective of his poetic work
📚 The book's title refers to Schjeldahl's earliest published poems, marking over three decades of his poetry writing career
✍️ Despite gaining more recognition for his art criticism, Schjeldahl's early poetry was influenced by the New York School poets, particularly Frank O'Hara, with whom he shared an interest in both poetry and art
🌟 The collection showcases Schjeldahl's unique ability to bridge the worlds of visual art and poetry, drawing on his expertise in both fields to create work that is both observant and lyrical