The Best of It (2011) is a selected collection of poems by Kay Ryan published by Grove Press. The collection won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.[1] and was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry.[2] The collection includes both poems original to The Best of It as well as poems selected from Ryan's former collections of poetry, specifically from Flamingo Watching (1994), Elephant Rocks (1996), Say Uncle (2000), and The Niagara River (2005).[3]
 Official Cover Design for The Best of It | |
| Author | Kay Ryan |
|---|---|
| Genre | Poetry |
| Publisher | Grove Atlantic Press |
Publication date | 2011 |
| Publication place | United States of America |
| ISBN | 978-0-8021-4521-5 |
Description and Overview
editThe collection begins with a dedication to Ryan's late wife, Carol Adair, to whom Ryan was married until Adair's death in 2009.[4] The collection contains 200 poems, most of which can be described as free verse.[3]
Reception and Critical Engagement
editMost reviewers of The Best of It, including the Pulitzer citation, highlight the collection's role as a legacy achievement.[1][5][6] Adam Kirsch compared the spare quality of Ryan's poetry to Emily Dickinson.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "The Best of It - 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry". Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "2010 Award Winners and Finalists". National Book Critics Circle.
- ^ a b "The Best of It". Grove Atlantic. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Carol Adair, College of Marin instructor, dies at 66 - Marin Independent Journal". 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-06-26. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Alkorji, Sadiq (2010). "The Best of It: New and Selected Poems". Library Journal. 135 (2): 68.
- ^ Lund, Elizabeth (26 April 2010). "Poetry reviews: 'The Apple Trees at Olema' and 'The Best of It'". Christian Science Monitor (26).
- ^ Kirsch, Adam (5 April 2010). "Think Small". The New Yorker. Vol. 86, no. 8. p. 76. ISSN 0028-792X.