A review of “The Spirit Level” in 100 words by Catherine Stover
The cover photo is a close-up of a level, which is sometimes called a spirit level. Ah, you might say, this poetry collection must be about finding balance. And since the author won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the list of things that are hard to balance probably includes physical and spiritual, past and present, political and personal. All true. Be prepared for hard work. For example, we are asked to find a balance between “grey cement” and a tune “that conjures green.” How do you do that? By walking on air against your better judgement. Hard, but worthy, work.
Work cited:
Heaney, Seamus. “The Gravel Walks.” The Spirit Level: Poems. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1996, p. 49.