Annette C. Boehm reviewed Collected poems, 1912-1944 by H. D.
Review of 'Collected poems, 1912-1944' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) was an important figure in Modernism, one of the first Imagists, friends with Ezra Pound, Sigmund Freud, and D.H. Lawrence, and in this collection -- though it contains by no means all of her writing -- you can sense the influence and synergy from all of these interactions.
I'm giving it 4 out of 5 stars because I personally am not a big fan of poetry that relies heavily on the reader's knowledge of classical / Greek drama, and a good part of the poems in this collection heavily reference that stuff. However, the other poetry really drew me in. The book traces H.D.'s development as a writer over the course of 30+ years, a period in time that encompasses both World Wars and had a major impact on her.
For a more in-depth discussion and sample bits and pieces, you can visit my blog: http://outsideofacat.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/you-are-even-a-world-a-planet-h-d-s-collected-poems-1912-44/
