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The experimental poetry of e. e. cummings made him famous, or at least infamous. He described himself as someone "whose only happiness is to transcend himself, whose every agony is to grow." Here he reads a varied selection of his innovative work, including poems from the collections Xaipe, One Times One, and Fifty Poems.

e.e.cummings (1894-1962) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After earning a B.A. and M.A. at Harvard in Latin and Greek, he went to France as a volunteer ambulance driver with the French army during World War I. The majority of his life was spent writing poetry and painting in New York's Greenwich Village. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Just Buy It
If you are as much a fan of ee cummings as me, you just have to buy this. For about 8 years, I've been reading his poetry, but this is the first time that I ever heard his voice. I could tell you how my expectations were wrong, but that would ruin the fun for you. I would have liked to have more poems, instead of the lengthy works, but maybe now I'll take a closer look at those too. If I knew about this tape years ago, I would have gotten it then

"but beauty is more now than dying's when"
Side One of this cassette contains passages from two of Cummings' plays, HIM, and the blank-verse SANTA CLAUS, as well as the bewilderingly jazzy account of visiting Lenin's tomb, taken from his ponderous book EIMI."Him" is a joyous ars poetica, and the blank verse of "Santa" is deft and enchanting.

But Side Two is the reason for buying this recording:eighteen of Cummings' poems written at the peak of his powers:odes to Spring and odes to Love, and a blithely undaunted championing of the proudhumble "i" against the drab machinery of egalitarianism.Nine of the poems are sonnets, all of the poems are in the nimble idiom that is so recongizably his own.

The small lyric "yes is a pleasant country" (14th of the eighteen poems) is as delicate and fine as anything by Robert Herrick.

The listener will finds herself memorizing these poems, perhaps without intending to.Cummings' mellow, sharp, distinctive, and occasionally cranky voice gives him the slight edge over the unremittingly stentorian yet much beloved Dylan Thomas as the premier reader of poetry in the twentieth century.

To paraphrase Cummings himself: "we thank you, estlin, for most these amazing songs."

cummings was a great poet and a brillant reader.
After listening to this tape, one will understand how e.e. cummings attracted large audiences to his readings.Each syllable is spoken with care, and you can hear and feel the unique rhythms of his poetry.cummingshas a musical voice with a range that conveys a variety of emotions.Thistape is an insight not only to the work of cummings, but to the oral art ofpoetry as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A useful reference for scholars
In this welcome, rational appraisal, the author sheds light upon influences, goals and themes of Cummings' verse by explicating in detail 25 of the poet's finest works (many of which have never been closely examined).Lane objectively assesses Cummings' strengths and weaknesses.Though an overview of Cummings' work and philsophy emerges, a complete reading of the book is attained only through great concentration due to its stiff organization (one explication after another--25 times).The book's primary value, therefore, would seem to lie in its use as a reference tool for the close examination of a few particular poems.Although scholars should be rewarded by Lane's insight, general readers (even those with a genuine interest in Cummings) may not have the patience to wait for enlightenment to intensify their intrigue. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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In southwest Nebraska, a stretch of Medicine Creek approximately 20 kilometers long holds a remarkable concentration of both late Paleoindian and late prehistoric sites. Unlike several nearby similar and parallel streams that drain the divide between the Platte and Republican Rivers, Medicine Creek has undergone 70 years of archaeological excavations that reveal a long occupation by North America's earliest inhabitants. Donna Roper has collected the written research in this volume that originated in a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1947 River Basin Survey. In addition to 12 chapters reviewing the long history of archaeological investigations at Medicine Creek, the volume contains recent analyses or new perspectives on old sites and old data. Two of the sites discussed are considered for pre-Clovis status because they show evidence of human modification of mammoth faunal remains in the late Pleistocene Age. Studies of later occupation of Upper Republican phase sites yield information on the lifeways of Plains village people.Presented by major investigators at Medicine Creek, the contributions are a balanced blend of the historical research and the current state-of-the-art work and analysis. Roper's comprehensive look at the archaeology, paleontology, and geomorphology at Medicine Creek gives scientists and amateurs a full assessment of a site that has caught us much about the North American continent and its early people. ... Read more

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In this timely collection, biological and behavioral scientists address questions emerging from new research about the origins and interconnections of altruism and aggression within and across species.They explore the genetic underpinnings of affiliative and aggressive orientations as well as the biological correlates of these behaviors.They consider environmental variables--family patterns, childrearing practices--that influence prosocial and antisocial behaviors.And they examine internal processes such as empathy, socio-inferential abilities, and cognitive attributions, that regulate "kindness" and "selfishness." The first section focuses on biological, sociobiological, and ethological approaches.It explores the utility of animal models for understanding both human and infrahuman social behavior.The second section focuses on the development, socialization, and mediation of altruism and aggression in children.Several concerns underly both sections.These include the role of attachment processes, separation distress, reciprocal interchanges, and social play in determining the quantity and quality of aggressive and affiliative interactions; the function of emotions (e.g. empathy, guilt, and anger) as instigators of altruism and aggression; and the nature of sex differences.Several chapters present data on emotions that mediate altruism and aggression and also on patterns of association between prosocial and antisocial behaviors.The authors take an ethological perspective, placing special importance on the need to explore altruism and aggression in the real lives and natural habitats of humans and other animals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Family Background Plays A Big Part in Both, so Beware.
Some people will pretend to altruism toward their human man, but always with the condition that their names are on the "gift."We have a few in this town who bequeath large money contributions only if they receive publicity and get their pictures in the local newspaper.One over-the-hill educator who thinks she is the only educated person in an apartment complex puts some of her "reference" (only in her opinion) books in the library with her name in large block letters.She has no humility or respect for the rights and opinions of others.

This book traces the interconnection of both within and across our species.Family are the biggest hindrance for certain people, like those highly sensitive.The brutes of society set out to hurt these special individuals with anger and guilt as their instigators.These aversive episodes are the opposite of kindness and empathy by others, and cognitive attributes suggest new paths for making sensitivity a blessing, and not a handicap.You learn about prosocial and antisocial behaviors such as selfishness ans separation distress among the young.Social play such as dreams have a part in overcoming other's aggression.

"I rose before dawn.The dream awakened me and I could not fall into sleep again.In the first passing freshness of the day, I scattered grain for the geese... The sun came up saffron, rose, and scarlet from the eastern hills, promising heat."The brighter side of human nature is Altruism and Empathy.There is a vast difference between aggressive and assertive actions to discipline confrontations.Many years ago, I sat in on a few sessions of a class on teaching Southern women to become aggressive by a Chicago male.When I wouldn't participate, he asked why.I told him I can be assertive when necessary, but never aggressive.Lately, I've changed my mind about that. Denying your emotions any longer will only delay the inevitable.After three years of being harassed and stalked by another being (not exactly human), I have decided it is time to take the aggressive, combative reaction.There is only so much a victim of such abuse can take.The function of emotions is to protect one's safety, physical and mental.Sometimes, it behooves the non-violent to take up for themselves when she has no one else to do it for her.

Aggression is not always bad.Sometimes it is needed for protection.It all depends on the individuals involved and the harshness and depth of a dangerous situation.I've been able to bluff my way out of a hostage situation which would have ended in death had I shown fear.But it left a scar, and now I warn the officials that a part of town is dangerous for bus riders and even ordinary women in particular.There is such a thing as taking this altruism thing a bit too far and endanger innocent people. ... Read more

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In asking "Who, as a writer, am I?", E.E. Cummings's affirmation of life resolved into serenity as he described himself as someone "whose only happiness is to transcend himself, whose every agony is to grow." This collection of Cummings reading his own poetry embodies this in an unforgettable way.

While perhaps best remembered for his use of such visual devices as typography and punctuation, the sheer sound of Cummings's work imparts a greater, deeper understanding of how its cadences reveal its profound meaning. This rich sampling of his poems is rendered in what the great Robert Graves called Cummings's "own beautifully modulated voice."

Customer Reviews (2)

E.E. Cummings:The Poet Speaks
Cummings is among those authors who add significantly to the average poetry lovers ability to penetrate the poets meaning by hearing him read. A sheer delight!

The author delivers his poetry
What a treat!EE Cummings reads his poetry in this short audio book.His poems are so full of life and layers of meaning.Listening to him adds an additional layer of enjoyment as well. ... Read more

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Ezra Pound and E. E. Cummings carried on a long and varied correspondence from the 1920s until Cummings's death in 1962. This volume collects all of the important letters from this important friendship in the history of modern poetry.
Throughout the correspondence both poets reveal themselves and their beliefs to a remarkable degree. Pound entrusted to Cummings details of his political outlook in the 1930s and 1940s, including his opinions about Mussolini's Italy. The letters to Cummings also shed new light on the question of Pound's sanity after World War II. Although he was diagnosed as mentally unfit, the letters generally show no evidence of paranoia, only of his characteristic eccentricity.
Similarly, these letters should provoke a reevaluation of Cummings. Critics have treated Cummings's political views as either strictly private matters or merely incidental to his art. The letters, however, show that Cummings's radically conservative political opinions are wholly consistent with his poetics, and raise the question of the relation between Cummings's political principles and his enthusiasm for particular forms (and particular stars) of mass entertainment.
In addition to their political revelations, the letters are steeped in the literary climate--and literary gossip--of the times. Pound comments often and candidly on Cummings's poetry and prose; both Pound and Cummings send light verse to each other. And the poets exchange anecdotes about such figures as Henry James, Wyndham Lewis, T. S. Eliot, Edmund Grosse, Max Eastman, and Aldous Huxley, among other writers.
There is much here to interest and delight both fans and foes of Pound and Cummings. The book will be of primary importance to students and scholars of modern poetry, especially those who emphasize the intersection of literary works and political history.
Barry Ahearn is Associate Professor of English, Tulane University.
... Read more

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