The Poets' Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family

John Lithgow
Grand Central Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780446580021
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (9/07)


John Lithgow, award-winning Broadway star, television and screen actor, has selected and compiled poems from 50 classic poets, including, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Robert Burns, Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, and John Keats. “The Poets’ Corner” is an effort to generate an interest, and enjoyment, in the reading and recitation of poetry.  John includes brief comments, reflecting on what the poems have meant to him, personally. These comments convey John’s love for poetry.  I found this to be a contagious experience, as I was introduced to a whole new poetic experience.

John contends that reading poetry aloud or listening to the reading of poetry increases the enjoyment and creates a bonding experience and resonance between the reader and the poet.  To aid in creating this experience for the reader a CD comes with the book, featuring readings by John Lithgow, Glenn Close, Morgan Freeman, Lynn Redgrave, and others.

I found that reading poems like “The Children’s Hour” by Longfellow and other familiar works struck a chord of nostalgia as well as giving me a fresh and clearer glimpse into the intention and meaning of the words and cadence of the poem.

The format of the book is reader-friendly.  The book can be read sequentially or randomly.  The poems appear alphabetically so times, styles, and content do not follow a logical pattern, however there is uniformity within that includes a biographical commentary, John’s interpretation of the poem and an inset quote, quip, definition, or interesting antidote.

I found the biographical sketches extremely interesting and relevant to understanding the tone of the writing and the influence of the social issues of the times. I enjoyed being introduced to Langston Hughes, the jazz poet, and his “The Weary Blues.”

From Matthew Arnolds “Dover Beach” to William Butler Yeats “The Lake of Innisfree” the reader is in store for an engaging experience and an entertaining introduction to the joy of poetry.  Whomever your favorite poet, whatever your taste in poetry, you will find a sampling in John Lithgow’s “The Poets’ Corner.”

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