Hi Peter,
I picked up this anthology (first published in 2009) a couple of years ago in the Waterstone's at Lancaster (not sure how it got there, since they only have a very small poetry section).
I really enjoyed this 'American Hybrid'. Along with more familiar names - such as John Ashbery, Peter Gizzi, Rosmarie Waldrop, Dean Young, Jorie Graham, Barbara Guest - it was a delight to discover the poetry of people like Cal Bedient, Michael Burkard and Mary Jo Bang (to name just a few).
I did see a slightly negative
review of American Hybrid in Tears of the Fence (if my memory serves me
correctly) complaining about the anthology's 'lack of focus' (or some
such phrase). However, I loved the feeling of plentifulness that this anthology gives me each time I dip into it (it works well for both longer and shorter sittings). A welcome change from anthologies with titles such as 'the best of', which do rather put me off. Having said that, this Hybrid - like nearly all anthologies in the end - is of course very much a 'selection', with its emphasis on what is sometimes called the 'experimental lyric' . Anyway, for me it was well-worth the 16 pounds or so that I spent on it - it is certainly not one of those books that remain untouched on the shelf.
Ian
Has any of you seen the new Norton anthology "American Hybrid" (ed. Cole Swenson and David St.John) and what do you think of it? Mainly, what do you think of the guiding concept "Hybrid", rather than who's in and who's out,which is obviously faulty in some respects at least.
Pr
