4thace reviewed Balladz by Sharon Olds
An exciting read with pathos and vision
4 stars
The poems here refer to standard forms without being strict about them. The section titled "Amherst Balladz" uses Emily Dickinson's style of capitalization and punctuation and short lines without much attention to the ballad meter, but still evokes an echo of her strangeness. The most characteristic feature in this collection is the choice of subject and imagery of which crosses the lines of polite social convention whenever it needs to as it makes its own point. At the beginning of this collection, in a section called Quarantine, and again at the end in one called Elegies, the poems focus on death and dying, with the last eleven describing her companion Carl Wallman's illness, last moments, and aftermath of death in just as honest and forceful a way the other poems do. In several others she talks about the neglect and abuse of her childhood in terms that make the shock …
The poems here refer to standard forms without being strict about them. The section titled "Amherst Balladz" uses Emily Dickinson's style of capitalization and punctuation and short lines without much attention to the ballad meter, but still evokes an echo of her strangeness. The most characteristic feature in this collection is the choice of subject and imagery of which crosses the lines of polite social convention whenever it needs to as it makes its own point. At the beginning of this collection, in a section called Quarantine, and again at the end in one called Elegies, the poems focus on death and dying, with the last eleven describing her companion Carl Wallman's illness, last moments, and aftermath of death in just as honest and forceful a way the other poems do. In several others she talks about the neglect and abuse of her childhood in terms that make the shock of this just as real and as immediate as when it happened many decades ago.
The collection asks a reader to work alongside the poet and not take easy ways out of the labor, which can be exhilarating while demanding. It is a pleasure to experience how each of these is so carefully worked out especially after having read lesser verse by others where you could never get the sense that the author has real mastery of expression. The words the author uses take unexpected turns but with intention and control from years of perfecting her craft. This volume was a finalist for the National Book Award