Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
0 0
Download high-resolution image

The Story of Our Lives

with The Monument and The Late Hour

Author Mark Strand
Paperback
$19.95 US
Knopf
On sale Feb 26, 2002 | 176 Pages | 9780375709753
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

This book brings together for the first time three out-of-print works written in the 1970's by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet—-an essential for long-time and first-time readers alike.

It opens with the haunting "Elegy for My Father" from The Story of Our Lives (1973)—-a powerful evocation of the emptiness, abandonment, and questioning that the dead leave to the living—-and moves on to such poems as "Inside the Story," which illuminates the "insides" of love—-the unspoken conversations between lovers, the arbitrary rules with which we guide our relationships.

The witty prose pieces from The Monument (1978) act as a reflective pause between the two poetry collections, commenting upon the immortality of poetry and the harmonious connection between the writer and his future readers. And, flowing seamlessly from these meditations, The Late Hour (1978) exemplifies the timeless power of lyric poetry, bringing us eloquent, lilting poems about the irretrievable past, the redemptive power of love, and the mysterious cycles of human existence:

"Again the late hour, the moon and stars,
the wounds of night that heal without sound,
again the luminous wind of morning that comes before the sun..."
© Sarah Shatz

Mark Strand, born in 1934, was the author of many books of poems, a book of stories, and three volumes of translations, and was the editor of several anthologies. He received many honors and awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize (for Blizzard of One), the Bollingen Prize, and the Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1990, he was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States. He died in 2014.

View titles by Mark Strand

About

This book brings together for the first time three out-of-print works written in the 1970's by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet—-an essential for long-time and first-time readers alike.

It opens with the haunting "Elegy for My Father" from The Story of Our Lives (1973)—-a powerful evocation of the emptiness, abandonment, and questioning that the dead leave to the living—-and moves on to such poems as "Inside the Story," which illuminates the "insides" of love—-the unspoken conversations between lovers, the arbitrary rules with which we guide our relationships.

The witty prose pieces from The Monument (1978) act as a reflective pause between the two poetry collections, commenting upon the immortality of poetry and the harmonious connection between the writer and his future readers. And, flowing seamlessly from these meditations, The Late Hour (1978) exemplifies the timeless power of lyric poetry, bringing us eloquent, lilting poems about the irretrievable past, the redemptive power of love, and the mysterious cycles of human existence:

"Again the late hour, the moon and stars,
the wounds of night that heal without sound,
again the luminous wind of morning that comes before the sun..."

Author

© Sarah Shatz

Mark Strand, born in 1934, was the author of many books of poems, a book of stories, and three volumes of translations, and was the editor of several anthologies. He received many honors and awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize (for Blizzard of One), the Bollingen Prize, and the Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1990, he was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States. He died in 2014.

View titles by Mark Strand

Other Books by this Author

Related Articles

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month
Psychology

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

Psychology
Literature

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

Literature
History Gender and Sexuality Studies

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

History Gender and Sexuality Studies
Subscribe

Penguin Random House Higher Education

© 2025 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)