I like Wieners best when he’s sort of wryly funny:

Is it love, or grass stains
on your shirt?

These poems cover a huge span of Wieners’ creative career, and are helpful for seeing the stylistic changes he went through as a poet. The quality’s v. uneven—Some of the poems are downright maudlin, with lines like “Life holds such sorrow I cannot bear to speak of it.” Many poems in the uncollected sections are of this nature, and in some ways are reminiscent of Artaud’s writings. Both poets have a tendency to pen long, detailed descriptions of the feelings brought on by their long-term mental illness / depression, institutionalization, electro shock—some of it harrowing and and absorbing, others tedious.

The later poems seem to get very disjunct. Some of these poems seem like fascinating juxtapositions; others make me think maybe he’s just crazy….

I like Wieners best when he’s sort of wryly funny:

Is it love, or grass stains
on your shirt?

These poems cover a huge span of Wieners’ creative career, and are helpful for seeing the stylistic changes he went through as a poet. The quality’s v. uneven—Some of the poems are downright maudlin, with lines like “Life holds such sorrow I cannot bear to speak of it.” Many poems in the uncollected sections are of this nature, and in some ways are reminiscent of Artaud’s writings. Both poets have a tendency to pen long, detailed descriptions of the feelings brought on by their long-term mental illness / depression, institutionalization, electro shock—some of it harrowing and and absorbing, others tedious.

The later poems seem to get very disjunct. Some of these poems seem like fascinating juxtapositions; others make me think maybe he’s just crazy….