This is one of my favorite collections of poetry, and it contains my favorite poem of all time (A Myth of Devotion). Louise Gluck is the kind of poet that transports you to another world using often the simplest language, and this rare talent is what makes me return to her again and again. Her poems are at once soft and bracing, surprising and familiar. This is a collection I will reread many times over.

Läs min recension på bloggen: https://www.fiktiviteter.se/2021/02/12/ett-mote-med-louise-gluck-i-tre-akter/

This was my first attempt at properly reading poetry, and while I can definitely appreciate the skill and depth that went into Averno, it just wasn't for me. & that hurts.

Louise Glück’s writing is clearly very thoughtful, and I can see why people widely admire her work. The themes of mythology, death, and the afterlife are interesting, all topics that I thought would help pique my interest, but I found it hard to connect with the poems on a personal level in any way at all.

It’s not that the collection of poems aren't great—in fact, it's the opposite–it’s just that poetry might not be for me. That said, I still rate Averno fairly high because I recognise the talent in the writing. If you are a poetry guy, you've got something I wish I had, but for me, it just didn’t click. Hence the mid rating.

Poetry is especially subjective, so reviewing it sometimes feels a little unfair. Only a few lines in this collection struck me whilst reading, and none haunted me after I’d closed it. There was nothing objectionable about it, and I enjoyed the experience of reading it, but it simply didn’t have any emotional impact on me.

I am tired of having hands
she said
I want wings —

But what will you do without your hands
to be human?

I am tired of human
she said
I want to live on the sun —

hell!