From Library Journal
Hang-Gliding from Helicon (the home of the muses) presents selections from six of Hoffman's previous booksall but the most recently published Brotherly Love ( LJ 3/15/81)plus 43 new poems. This erudite poetry can encompass such events as a wise, genial professor commenting on the joys of language. Although later poems lack the imaginative sparkle ("out of nowhere whirled the nebulae/ gadding gilded, all green energy") that led Auden to designate Hoffman the Yale Younger Poet in 1954, they are mature reflections on time's effect on a sensitive witness to our age. Forty years of writing testify to Hoffman's belief that "continuity is blessed/ whose image moves in endless change." Frank Allen, Allentown Coll., Center Valley, Pa.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
"Hang-Gliding from Helicon" presents more than forty new poems by Daniel Hoffman and a generous selection from six of his previous books.
Hoffman's poetry is a celebration of life, yet some of his poems have dark implications. "The City of Satisfactions" is a journey into the haunted heart of the American dream. "The Center of Attention" portrays a suicidal man being taunted by a crowd to jump from a bridge, and "Witnesses" explores the aftermath of a car wreck on a desolate stretch of rural highway.
Each of Hoffman's poems represents a striking response to the moments of being alive. "Hang-Gliding from Helicon" affirms the power of poetry to make possible the acceptance and transformation of life. Daniel Hoffman has given us the remarkable statement of his deep poetic faith.
