Meditations in an Emergency

Meditations in an Emergency is a collection of poetry by Frank O'Hara, published by Grove Press in 1957. The collection contains 31 poems that capture moments and observations from life in New York City during the 1950s. The poems range from reflections on art and artists to observations of city life and personal relationships. O'Hara writes about encounters with friends, reactions to paintings, experiences at parties, and walks through Manhattan streets. This volume showcases O'Hara's signature style of direct address and immediate experience, mixing high culture references with everyday observations. The collection takes its name from John Donne's work "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions" and is dedicated to painter Jane Freilicher. The collection explores themes of art, identity, urban life, and the intersection of personal experience with cultural observation. It stands as a central text of the New York School of poetry, bridging the gap between abstract expressionism in painting and modernist poetry.

Readers connect with O'Hara's intimate, conversational tone and his ability to capture specific moments in New York City life. Many note how the poems feel like personal letters or journal entries, with one reviewer calling them "snippets of consciousness caught on paper." Readers appreciate: - Raw emotional honesty about relationships and loneliness - Blend of humor with melancholy - Cultural references that ground the poems in 1950s NYC - Accessibility of the language Common criticisms: - Some poems feel too personal/obscure without context - Occasional name-dropping of art world figures - Uneven quality across the collection Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (120+ ratings) Multiple reviewers mention discovering the book through Mad Men, where Don Draper reads it. One frequent comment is that the collection improves with multiple readings, as noted by a Goodreads reviewer: "These poems reveal new layers each time I return to them."

Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara O'Hara's other major collection captures the same New York City energy and artistic observations through poems written during lunch breaks.

The Dream Songs by John Berryman These poems blend personal experience with cultural references in a distinctly American voice that speaks to urban intellectual life in the mid-20th century.

Some Trees by John Ashbery A collection from O'Hara's close friend and fellow New York School poet that shares similar interests in art, friendship, and city life.

Life Studies by Robert Lowell This confessional poetry collection presents a raw examination of personal experience and relationships in mid-century America.

Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems by William Carlos Williams Williams' collection demonstrates the same keen interest in visual art and immediate experience that characterizes O'Hara's work.

🗽 The collection gained widespread attention after being featured in Season 2 of "Mad Men," when Don Draper reads a copy during lunch 📝 O'Hara wrote many of these poems during his lunch breaks while working as a curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) 🎨 The book's title poem, "Meditations in an Emergency," was partially inspired by O'Hara's complex relationship with artist Grace Hartigan 🌆 Several poems in the collection were composed while O'Hara walked through Manhattan streets, leading to his signature style known as "I do this, I do that" poetry 📚 Published in 1957, the book was originally printed in a limited run of only 90 copies by Grove Press, making first editions extremely rare and valuable today