Best Words, Best Order by Stephen Dobyns
Willard Library is located in Evansville, Indiana and is known for two things: ghosts and great deals on used books. I no longer live in Evansville, but every time I visit friends or family I always make it a point to browse through Willard’s book selection. A name that stopped me on a recent thumb-scan was Stephen Dobyns.
Dobyns has written eleven books of poetry and over twenty novels, and has shown up in most modern poetry anthologies I’ve looked through. Known more as a novelist for his popular suspense writing, Dobyns serious passion is poetry. This is seen in Best Words, Best Order.
As an educator—teaching at Warren Wilson College, Syracuse, and Georgia Tech, to name a few—Dobyns shows through his writing style why he is sought after to reach students: he simplifies difficult concepts.
In this book, which some say ranks on everyone’s list of one of the best books on poetry, Dobyns uses eight of the thirteen chapters in the book to dissect poetic elements from metaphor to the function of tone. In four other chapters he traces the writing development of Rilke, Mandelstam, Ritsos and Chekhov. These chapters rarely overstay their welcome; the only chapter that bored me toward the end was the chapter on Rilke—before the last five pages everything was great.
The book ends with a self-reflection. Dobyns, having written dozens of successful books, critiques his own artistic choices. This is not done in a prideful, look-how-great-I-am-and-how-much-you-have-learned-from-my-book-that-is-number-oh-wait-I-forgot-the-number-because-I’ve-written-so-many, way. He is honest, critical, and admits he’s not perfect; it’s also the shortest chapter in the book.
This is a great book for anyone who enjoys poetry, is a poet, or wants some background on the writers mentioned above.
Read it? – Yes