Customer Reviews (1)

INTERESTING SURVEY OF INTENTIONAL COMMUNITES AND THEIR "PRE-HISTORY"
Kenneth Rexroth (1905-1982) was an American poet, translator and critical essayist.In this 1974 book, he traces the origins of communalism back much farther than most such surveys do, including the Pythagoreans, the Essenes, and even the monastic movements of the Medieval period (he notes, for example, that "Both Franciscans and Dominicans were lay-oriented"), as well as the Waldenses and other pre-Protestant Christian groups.But of course he also covers the more typical "utopian" groups such as Bohemia Manor, Woman of the Wilderness, Bishop's Hill, New Harmony, Brook Farm, the Hutterites, and many others.

Here are some examples of Rexroth's observations:

"(T)he writings of Gerrard Winstanley ... came to constitute the first systematic exposition of libertarian communism in English."

After Robert Owen left New Harmony for the last time, "when he reached New York he took ship for England and never came back.The first secular communist community was dead and Owen had lost about a quarter of a million dollars."

"Brook Farm was on the border between a religious and a secular colony, and although its sophisticated members were far from being superstitious or 'primitive' or dogmatic in their beliefs, the governing philosophy was certainly millenarian."

"The Hutterites form by far the oldest communist society in the world..."

"Secular communes have almost always failed in very short order.It is astonishing that Robert Owen's New Harmony should bulk so large in the history of communalism.It lasted so short a while and managed to do everything wrong.A simple belief that all men should live together as brothers is not sufficiently well defined to inspire a strong commitment." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

More beautiful Japanese poems to awaken the heart and soul.
I have always loved the simple, yet profound Japanese approach to poetry. The words stir the heart and soul.I have read the first volume in this two-set series of Japanese poetry, and I found this one as moving as the first volume.The author has each poem written in Enlish, Japanese and in Kanji characters.Kenneth Rexroth has did a fantastic job of translating the poetry from Japanese to English.In conclusion, if you love Japanese poetry, such as Haiku, you will want to read this volume. Rating: 5 stars.Joseph J. Truncale(Season of the Warrior: A Poetic Tribute to Warriors)

just right-
Rexroth's brilliant translations, though at times very liberal, do much better at expressing the real meat of each poem than do more traditional, academic translations steeped in dated language. His other translated collections of Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Greek poetry are equally beautiful. It should be noted, though, that "Marichiko" was in fact a pen name. In his later years, "Marichiko" was an experiment on Rexroth's part to write completely separated from himself as a central figure, switching culture, gender, and language - and then writing poetry from that new perspective. It wasn't until after his death that it even became clear the two were in fact the same person.

SUBLIME EROTICISM -- A MUST READ
Rexroth must be praised for two reasons. One: his translations are razorsharp (in the Japanese style), yet retain all the profundity and thehumanity of the poem. And two: the selections are excellent. For all poetrylovers, and indeed for all poetry non-lovers, this is THE collection. Youcan't go wrong with Rexroth.

Marichiko
Kenneth Rexroth's Japanese poem selections caused a great commotion within myself. Never had such words stir so much emotions within me. As a result, I am able to relate to better with my girlfriend. These selections caught the true essense of love and lost of love.

Marichiko's, a writer of various poems displayed, poems piqued my interest. Her poems were... are indeed intense in nature. I am desire so much to possess her complete works. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Jack Kerouac, Richard Wright, Gary Snyder, George Swede, Gary Gach, Gerald Vizenor, Kenneth Rexroth, Jim Kacian, Anatoly Kudryavitsky, Paul Conneally, Cid Corman, Billy Collins, Sonia Sanchez, John Brandi, Robert Kelly, James Kirkup, William J. Higginson, Tazuo Yamaguchi, Kilmeny Niland, Alan Pizzarelli, Robin D. Gill, Nigel Jenkins, Nick Virgilio, Lenard Moore, Richard Krawiec, Geraldine Clinton Little, K.v.dominic, Santiago B. Villafania, Frederick Kesner, Gabriel Rosenstock, Paul O. Williams, Paul Reps, Sadakichi Hartmann, Mykel Board, Andreas Gripp, Chris Faiers, Cor Van Den Heuvel, Kenneth Yasuda, Bruce Ross, Claire Pratt, Minerva Bloom, Tom Gilroy, Raymond Roseliep, Elizabeth Warren, James William Hackett, Roger Jones, Edwin E. Smith, Ronda Eller, George Klacsanzky, Paula Gruden, Lee Gurga. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 242. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Jean-Louis "Jack" Kerouac (pronounced ; March 12, 1922 October 21, 1969) was an American novelist and poet. Alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, he is considered a pioneer of the Beat Generation, and a literary iconoclast. Kerouac is recognized as an important writer both for his spontaneous style and for his content which consistently dealt with such topics as jazz, promiscuity, Buddhism, drugs, poverty, and travel. His writings have inspired several prominent writers, including Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Robbins, Thomas Pynchon, Lester Bangs, Will Clarke, Richard Brautigan, Ken Kesey, Haruki Murakami, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and writers of the New Journalism. His works were sometimes shunned as "slapdash", "grossly sentimental", and "immoral". Kerouac did manage to acquire underground celebrity status and was, for a time, labeled as a progenitor of the Hippie movement. Disenchanted with mainstream Am...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=15890 ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Pierre Quillard, Samuel Schwartzbard, Bernard Gainier, Koulizh Kedez, Kenneth Rexroth, André Colomer, Adolphe Retté, Gaston Couté, Gueorgui Tchoulkov, Mécislas Golberg, Lucía Sánchez Saornil, Charles D'avray, David Edelstadt, Paul Paillette. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Pierre Quillard, né à Paris le 14 juillet 1864 et mort à Neuilly-sur-Seine le 4 février 1912, est un poète symboliste, auteur dramatique, traducteur helléniste et journaliste français. Anarchiste et dreyfusard, il fut l'un des premiers défenseurs du peuple arménien persécuté dans l'Empire ottoman. Il fait ses études au lycée Fontanes, où il a pour condisciples Éphraïm Mickaël, Stuart Merrill, René Ghil, André Fontainas, Rodolphe Darzens, Georges Vanor. Il contribue ses premiers poèmes au journal Le Fou et s'attire les foudres du proviseur pour y avoir fait paraître un sonnet commençant par cet alexandrin : « Un lendemain de fête on a mal aux cheveux. » Il poursuit ses études à la Sorbonne, puis à l'École pratique des hautes études et . En 1884, il fonde avec Saint-Pol-Roux et Éphraïm Mikhaël la revue La Pléiade, dans laquelle paraît en 1886 sa première pièce, La Fille aux mains coupées, en même temps que le Traité du verbe de René Ghil. Son premier recueil de vers, La Gloire du Verbe, paru en 1890, est salué par Remy de Gourmont comme « l'un des rares poèmes de ce temps où l'idée et le mot marchent d'accord en harmonieux rythme. » Il entame en 1891 une collaboration au Mercure de France auquel il restera fidèle jusqu'à sa mort. Un contemporain le dépeint comme un chevalier « à l'œil limpide, à la barbe flavescente, levant haut la tête, le casque de cheveux posé en arrière et découvrant un front bombé comme d'un primitif flam...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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A representative selection of the best poems of all his different periods and tendencies. ... Read more