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E. E. Cummings

The Enormous Room Hardcover – Jan. 1 1922

by E. E. Cummings (Author)

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Language

English
Publisher

Boni and Liveright
Publication date

Jan. 1 1922
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00085JSQO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boni and Liveright (Jan. 1 1922)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 454 g

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159 ratings

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E. E. Cummings

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E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) was among the most influential, widely read, and revered modernist poets. His many awards included an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, two Guggenheim Fellowships, and the Bollingen Prize. Among his many volumes are The Enormous Room and Tulips & Chimneys.

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5 star		59%
4 star		17%
3 star		13%
2 star		3%
1 star		8%

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Katrina M

One Star

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 24, 2016

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Cumming's Salvation...

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 6, 2002

Reading Cumming's poetry was never a priority in my school days, except such excerpts as appeared in my far from comprehensive American Lit book. After reading this, I wish I'd paid more attention to this truly gifted writer.
The Enormous Room is the story of Cumming's three month incarceration at La Ferte Mace, a squalid French prison camp. Cummings is locked up as accessory to exercise of free speech, his friend B. (William Brown) having written a letter with some pro German sentiments. What Cummings experienced in those three months and the stories of the men and women he met are, despite the straits of the polyglot texture of the book, never other than fascinating. At moments touching (the stories of the Surplice and The Wanderer's family), hilarious (the description of the Man In the Orange Cap is hysterical), and maddening (the smoking of the four les putains), this is a brilliant weft of memorable characters and not a little invective for the slipshod French goverment.
Something I noticed. Though the book claims as its primary influence Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, I noticed a similarity with Thoreau's Walden. In both books, there is the idea of self-abnegation breeding liberty and peace of mind. The idea is to shear away all luxuries, all privileges. But Thoreau had one very important luxury to his credit: Free will. Whereas Thoreau chose his isolated and straitened existence near Walden Pond, Cummings' was involuntary. So, if the touchstone of freedom both men share is valid, is not Cummings, by virtue of the unrequested nature of his imprisonment, the freer of the two men?
This is a fascinating, thought provoking, ribald and intelligent book. I only regret that the Fighting Sheeney was never given commupance...

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J Pomes

Great book but NOT a "A rambunctious modern novel "

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 20, 2000

I am confused as to why the editorial review described this as a novel - it is NOT a novel. The edition that I have of this book has a foreword by Robert Graves & includes letters by cummings' father to the government during his imprisonment. That edition calls this a biography/narrative.
That being said - if you're a fan of cummings' poetry as I am, this book goes a long way towards explaining his transition from an idealistic youth into the more cynical man who manages to retain an appreciation for the beautiful. Check out "etc.: the unpublished poems of e. e. cummings"; I recommend it in addition to this, but if the narrative of "enormous room" bothers you, "etc." shows the transformation through poetry and brief editorial notes. Basically, I recommend this book because of the insight, the flow of the narrative (although it WAS occasionally hard to follow), and the descriptiveness of the narrative which is very reminiscent of his poetry. It's great to see this finally back in print.

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Top reviews from other countries

M. Dowden

Incarceration

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 11, 2018

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Admittedly when you think of Edward Estlin Cummings, better known as e e cummings, it is poetry that you think of but of course he wrote a lot more than just that. What we have here then is an autobiographical novel, as we are taken into the incarceration and the detention centre that Cummings and his friend were held during the First World War.

Cummings and others joined up with the Norton – Harjes Ambulance Corps, and whilst waiting in Paris to be deployed, he and his friend William Slater Brown took in the sights and wrote letters to friends and family. Unfortunately, certain of Brown’s letters, when reaching the censor were determined to be anti-war and thus both he and Cummings were seized by the police. Brown appears in this book as just B, and we read here of what happens to both men as they are incarcerated.

Here in his own inimitable style we read a tale that to a certain extent has absurdism running through it, as we read of why some of the other people are being detained. With a cast of some memorable characters some of them quite eccentric, so we have something here that is quite enjoyable to read and reminds us all of how far government departments can go in making mistakes. This does make a good accompaniment to other books of this period, as it shows us an aspect that many are either ignorant of, or just usually overlook.

2 people found this helpful

A. C. Dickens

Vivid contribution to the literature of World War I

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 8, 2016

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e e cummings was best known as an avant-garde poet with an unorthodox way with punctuation, but he was also a writer of prose and an artist. In 1917 he was arrested in Paris, apparently because his friend and companion William Brown had been writing anti-French articles, and was regarded as a potential spy. Cummings was never accused of anything except guilt by association. Cummings and Brown were shifted around for a while, ending up in a place called Macé. Here they stayed for about 3 months in "the enormous room" with about 60-70 other male prisoners (women were held in another part of the building). Eventually Cummings was released.

In the early pages I couldn't understand why the author was describing every incident and every person he met in such great detail. But this made more sense when he reached Macé. Most of the narrative from this point on consisted of describing his fellow inmates and guards, and this is where Cummings comes into his own - he has an artist's eye for describing people and shows great empathy with the prisoners. Cummings was himself in a privileged position - he had money which he could draw on to buy cigarettes and supplement the appalling diet, and had a fur coat and bedding whilst most of his companions had no money and nothing but a straw palliasse to lie on.

Cummings devises nicknames for his fellow prisoners and the guards - the Zulu, Trick Raincoat, the Fighting Sheeney and other colourful terms. The guards are a pitiful lot, mostly troops who are hors de combat through injury. The women, who the men are not allowed to socialise with (or they have to spend time in the Cabinot - a tiny solitary confinement cell), seem to be either prostitutes or associates (wives etc) of the men.

Cummings describes many incidents in great detail ,and it is obvious to the reader that he thinks that the whole system is ludicrous and the French authorities despicable. At the same time he has great admiration for many of his fellow detainees.

The end of the book is a bit weak, but the bulk of the narrative - the Enormous Room - makes a telling contribution to the literature of World War I.

Milly

it's ee cummings) but for my favourite poet i was left a bit disappointed - maybe ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 23, 2018

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this is well written (of course it would be, it's ee cummings) but for my favourite poet i was left a bit disappointed - maybe my expectations were too high. don't know if it was the version i had, but there is a few lines in french and no translations are offered, and although the description in the story is great, especially when it comes to describing characters, i just didn't get so much of a feel for it. it is short but it did seem to drag. i love his poems so much that i feel so guilty leaving three stars... but i think you'd be better reading a collection of his poetry to see the real beauty of his work

Dennis Mobberley

Cummings was Wise to Stick to Verse

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 13, 2018

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Strangely disorganised and pedestrian text by the great Surrealist poet whom I have admired for thirty years.
Given the subject matter ( World War One and pacifism ) Cummings could have made much more of it.
Too much gratuitous French-language intellectual-speak:
Too much Yale preppyness:
Cummings had nothing to prove and could have spared us.
Sadly, I could not finish the book, and you have a right to know.

Mrs B

uplifting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2013

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An account of his time held in the "enormous room" of the title ..
Cummings gives us a rare view of humans surviving in situations that are completely out of their control.
The acceptance, the simple kindness, the beauty of the most damaged people .. Cummings describes with a depth of feeling that uplifts. . . gives hope.
I almost felt regret when he was moved and I'd not "see" the characters and the room again.

2 people found this helpful

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