"No practicing poet has more talent than Robert Hass."
–Atlantic Monthly Praise for his previous book
20th Century Pleasures "Here [is] the prose of an intelligent man who wishes to serve poetry–not appropriate it or crow over it or show off at its expense–and this is a rare enough experience to arouse gratitude and admiration."
–Times Literary Supplement "[Hass'] final intention is not merely to judge but to give a picture of the writer's mind . . . Mr. Hass believes that poetry is what defines the self, and it is his ability to describe that process that is the heart of this book's pleasure."
–The New York Times Book Review