Balladz

Balladz is Sharon Olds' thirteenth collection of poetry, written during the COVID-19 pandemic and published in 2022. The book contains both new works and pieces dating back to her teenage years. The poems cover Olds' experiences during lockdown in New York City, with observations of nature from her apartment window and reflections on isolation. Her verses also reach into memories of childhood, marriage, divorce, and her relationship with her parents. The collection incorporates traditional ballad forms while maintaining Olds' characteristic free verse style and direct language. She documents the rhythms of daily life under quarantine while weaving in broader meditations on mortality and time. The work speaks to collective trauma and isolation while remaining grounded in personal experience, creating connections between private moments and shared human struggles. Through these poems, Olds examines how individuals find meaning and resilience during periods of crisis.

Readers appreciate Olds' raw honesty in exploring grief, aging, and the pandemic experience in Balladz. Multiple reviews note the power of poems about her ex-husband's death and her reflections on their past relationship. Several readers highlight "September 2020" as capturing the isolation of lockdown. Critics say some poems feel uneven or overly repetitive in theme. A few readers mention the collection lacks the impact of her earlier works like "Stag's Leap." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.29/5 (175 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (32 ratings) Sample reader comments: "The poems about her former husband's death are devastating and beautiful" - Goodreads reviewer "She puts into words what many of us felt during those early pandemic months" - Amazon review "Some poems feel like retreading familiar ground" - Goodreads reviewer The collection resonates particularly with readers who followed Olds through her previous works about marriage and divorce.

What We Carry by Dorianne Laux This collection blends personal history and mortality through poems that examine family relationships, aging, and loss.

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong These poems navigate trauma, identity, and generational history through the lens of a Vietnamese-American experience.

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück The poems move between human, flower, and divine voices to explore existence, death, and rebirth in a garden setting.

Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith These poems connect personal grief with cosmic questions through explorations of space, science, and family relationships.

Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield The collection examines intimate moments of life transitions through observations of nature and domestic experiences.

🌟 "Balladz" was published in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects on themes of isolation, mortality, and human connection during this unprecedented time. 🌟 Sharon Olds wrote many of these poems while quarantining alone in her New Hampshire cabin, observing nature and contemplating life through her window. 🌟 The unconventional spelling of "Balladz" pays homage to the medieval roots of ballads while giving the collection a contemporary edge. 🌟 The collection earned Olds her second Pulitzer Prize nomination, following her 2013 win for "Stag's Leap," which chronicled her divorce. 🌟 The book includes a sequence of "Amherst Balladz" that creates a dialogue with Emily Dickinson's work, connecting contemporary isolation with the famous poet's reclusive lifestyle.