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This anthology celebrates the lives and poetry of the four New York Poets, Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, and James Schuyler. With detailed background information on each poet's life and a substantial bibliography, this book introduces us to these American poets.
By the early 1950's they were all living and writing in Manhatten. They challenged, encouraged and collaborated with each other diving into the creative energies of the New York Arts scene, to quote James Schuyler, "floods of paint, in whose crashing surf we scramble."
The first thing that struck me about these poets was the length of some of their poems and the prose like nature of some of them, while others just seemed to be stream of consciousness writing.
A lot of them are very much of their post war era and reference people from that time, building you a picture of the New York Art and Poetry Scene. They prefer free verse and some of the poems are lengthy.
These were my favourite poems:
Why I am not a Painter by Frank O'hara
Self Potrait in a Convex Mirror by John Ashbery
One Train May Hide Another by Kenneth Koch
Fauré's Second Piano Quartet by James Schuyler.
All four poets are good at description and create pictures in your mind and entwine them with art, music, and the life going on in front of them. There is an excitement and movement in their poetry. There is also an immediacy to it as if each poet wanted to get all this life and energy onto the page as quickly as they could.
I enjoyed being introduced to these poets and the editor, Mark Ford, who is obviously a fan too, has made a good job of this anthology.
I may well read more of these poets and perhaps in their colaborations with each other too.
☆☆☆☆ - Recommended
New York Poets
©✍️CarolynCrossley
VIXEN of VERSE 
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